Arthur Stephens

Arthur was born on July 21, 1933, in Lynn Haven, Florida, to Claude and Edith Stephens. From childhood, his life was marked by generosity, strength, and service. He was a devoted son, brother, and uncle; a loving husband to his beloved wife, Carol Ann, throughout their 73 years of marriage; dear Daddy to his children, Sandi and Lynn; and treasured Pa to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. That same devotion was evident in his friendships, in his military service to the country he loved, and throughout his successful legal career. His influence reached far and wide, but his family was always at the center of his life.

In 1953, Arthur served in the 82nd Airborne. During his time in the Army, he attained the rank of Master Sergeant and later served in the Army Reserves until February 1961.

Arthur graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1960. It may be an understatement to say he was an enthusiastic Alabama Crimson Tide football fan. While in law school, he served on the Law Review and represented the school on its Moot Court Team in Atlanta and New York. After graduation, he began practicing law with David Patton in Athens, Alabama, before joining Watts, Salmon and Roberts in 1961, where he became a partner in 1964. In 1973, he founded Stephens and Millirons, where he practiced for the remainder of a distinguished career spanning more than fifty years as a member of the Alabama State Bar.

Arthur was a member of the Bench and Bar Legal Honors Society and the Huntsville Madison County Bar Association, serving as its president from 1982 to 1983. He also served with the Alabama State Bar as chairman of its Insurance Programs Committee from 1980 to 1983.

He was regarded as one of Alabama’s preeminent authorities on real estate law. Generous with his knowledge, Arthur frequently discussed difficult legal issues with colleagues and fellow members of the bar who sought his opinion and guidance. He was a trusted advisor and mentor to many throughout Alabama’s legal community, and his influence extended well beyond the clients he represented.

Arthur did nothing halfway. He had the eye and talent of a master gardener and was a native plant enthusiast, a bird lover, and a gourmet cook. Whether tending a garden, preparing a memorable meal, or caring for the birds he loved watching, he brought curiosity, enthusiasm, and meticulous attention to the things that gave him joy.

For all his accomplishments, Arthur was perhaps best known to those closest to him for the way he loved his family. His family knew him as a steady and wise presence they could always depend on, but also as their fun-loving and lighthearted friend. He coined nicknames and favorite expressions. His playful spirit and clever rapport, his love of the arts, and his enjoyment of good food helped create a rich family culture filled with cherished traditions that will continue in his memory.

Arthur is survived by his daughter, Sandi Stephens Simmons (Clay); his grandchildren, Kelly Roper (Jim), Megan Cobb (Trevor), Heath Simmons (Andrea), Rachel Simmons, Laura Simmons (Ben), and David Simmons; his great-grandchildren, Kaelynn and McKenna Whitworth, Selah, Sadie, and Joshua Cobb, Drew, Karina, Gabby, and Elena Simmons, Baela and Kelton Strong, and Gaia Hilton; his sisters, Nancy Welborn (Billy) and Norma Baymiller (Dick); and his many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Claude and Edith Stephens; his beloved wife, Carol Ann Espy Stephens; his daughter, Doris Lynn Stephens; his brothers, Leo (Ruth), Robert (Dot), Howard (Sue Ann), and Donald (Delores); and his sisters, Flora, Dorothy Pinkerton (Charles), Betty Knowles (Kermit), Helen Cullen (Steve), Edith Pascual (John), and Mary Walsh (Charles).

Arthur will be deeply missed by his family and friends. He leaves behind a legacy of generosity and kindness, his joie de vivre—his joy of living—and the heroic care he gave to his cherished wife, Carol. Those who loved him will remember not only the remarkable life he lived, but also the warmth, devotion, and unmistakable delight with which he loved them.

An interment service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on September 23 at Maple Hill Cemetery, 202 Maple Hill St SE, Huntsville, Alabama, officiated by Reverend Coy Hallmark of Huntsville First United Methodist Church.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. at Kirkwood by the River Chapel, 3605 Ratliff Road, Birmingham, Alabama, officiated by Chaplain Cary Speaker. Visitation will be held prior to the service at 2:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Samford University, where his granddaughter Kaelynn Whitworth is a freshman, or to Converse College, where his daughter, Lynn Stephens, attended until her death in 1977.