James "Sedg" Lowell Sedgwick

James Lowell Sedgwick (“Sedg”), attorney, entrepreneur, and resident of Vestavia Hills, AL, entered heaven on January 23, 2020. He was 80 years old. Sedg was a devoted father and husband, business leader, and most importantly, lover of Jesus Christ. An only child, Sedg was born in Omaha, NE on July 12, 1939, to Lowell Grow Sedgwick and Isabelle Neumann Sedgwick. He completed primary and secondary schools in Omaha, obtained his undergraduate degree at Doane University, and his juris doctor from the University of Nebraska law school in 1964. After graduation, Sedg served in the U.S. Air Force as a Captain in the JAG Corps and was stationed in Duluth, MN, where he said he “flew a desk.” After completing his service, Sedg moved to Lincoln where he joined the Nebraska Department of Insurance as General Counsel. In Lincoln, he also met Elizabeth Ann Howell (“Beth”), whom he married in 1971. He joined the law firm Crosby, Guenzel and Pansing of Lincoln, NE, practicing until 1979. Sedg then became General Counsel of United Investors Life Insurance Company in Kansas City, KS, and eventually President after a move to Birmingham, AL. In 1998 he retired from corporate life. Not one to sit around, he founded Sedgwick Consulting, LLC, and partnered with esteemed plastic surgeon Dr. James Grotting to create CosmetAssure, a specialty lines insurance business. In 2014, he celebrated his 50th year as a member of the Nebraska Bar Association and remained a member until his passing. Over the years, Sedg was active in both civic life and at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, where he was a dedicated member and deeply devoted to the businessmen’s Sunday School class. He co-founded the David R. Belcher Memorial Scholarship, which provides college scholarships to deserving graduates of The Big Oak Ranch, a home for abused, neglected, and abandoned children. Kind and generous, Sedg was the consummate family man. He coached both his daughters’ Vestavia Hills softball teams for many years and he was never happier than when he was spending time with his five children and four grandchildren. Sedg was an avid Nebraska Cornhusker fan and was able to enjoy 3 national championships over his lifetime; he quickly became an enthusiastic Georgia Bulldog fan with his three children attending UGA. He is survived by his wife of 48 years Elizabeth Howell Sedgwick; son Matthew James Sedgwick (Libby) of Atlanta, GA; daughter Amy Sedgwick Griffith (Jonathan) of Vestavia Hills, AL; daughter Katherine Ann Sedgwick of New York, NY; and grandchildren Luke and Drew Sedgwick, and Caia and Isaac Griffith. On Friday, January 31, at 1:00pm a brief committal service will be held at Alabama National Cemetery (all are welcome and encouraged to arrive promptly). On Saturday, February 1, family will be receiving visitors at Shades Mountain Baptist Church (student center), 2017 Columbiana Road, Vestavia Hills, AL, 35216, from 10am to 11am, followed by a celebration of life service from 11am to 12pm. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Big Oak Ranch at P.O. Box 507, Springville, AL 35147, or Love In Action c/o Shades Mountain Baptist Church.