A nurse for over fifty years, Andrea Marie Stofer Carey, 82, of Pensacola, FL passed away peacefully on Monday, May 25, 2026, surrounded by family while listening to The Platters, the Shirelles, the Beatles, David Bowie, and other favorites.

As the great granddaughter of a New York City midwife, Andrea continued her family’s legacy of healthcare service, using her skills not only as a nurse but also as a translator for Spanish-speaking and French-speaking patients. Her unique ability to blend nursing expertise with trilingual skills helped bridge gaps in healthcare access for immigrant communities in New Jersey and Florida. She advocated for healthcare reform on both state and national levels, striving to improve healthcare for underserved communities. She worked in public health, community health, OB-GYN, and neonatal units while struggling against the corporatization of healthcare.

Born on January 8, 1944, in Brooklyn, NY, Andi, as she was known, travelled the world with her husband, the late USN Commander Dan Carey. They wined, dined, and danced in many countries enjoying the communities where they lived. For example, Andi became a celebrity in Iceland due to her miniskirt clad baking show on Armed Force television network. While living abroad, she continued to mentor young nurses and teach community health classes throughout her career. Upon returning to the US and settling in Pensacola, she completed a BSN at the University of West Florida after receiving a RN at St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing. She also completed graduate work at the University of South Alabama while raising her children. She worked at West Florida Hospital for over thirty years. Andi had a profound impact on women’s health as one of the first participants in the Nurses’ Health Survey, a critically important initiative funded by the National Institute of Health, whose results contributed invaluable data to advance women’s health. Her kids remember her filling out the surveys and talking about the importance of research funding for women’s health.

Andi is preceded in death by her parents James and Marie Stofer and her husband Dan Carey.

Survivors include her brother, Gene Stofer; her son, Brian Carey; her daughters, Elaine Carey (Javier Alvarez Isasi) and Erin Carey (Richard Butler); and her grandchildren, Lucas, Xavier, and Roardan as well as a large extended family.

A visitation will be held from 4:00pm-6:00pm Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, 2276 Airport Blvd., Pensacola, FL 32504. Funeral Mass will be held 11:00am Monday, June 1, 2026, at St. Paul Catholic Church, 3131 Hyde Park Rd, Pensacola, FL 32303, with Fr. Grant Sennott celebrant. A graveside service will be held at 10:00am Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at Barrancas National Cemetery. Due to NAS Base Security, those wishing to attend the graveside service, please join us for a police escorted funeral procession that will depart Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel at 9:15am sharp to make our way to Barrancas National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you recognize Andi’s commitment to service and advocacy in healthcare that is rooted in the values of a just world for the poor, the sick, and the uneducated. Please make a memorial contribution to the Andrea M. Stofer Carey '61 Endowed Scholarship at Mount St. Mary’s Academy that continues to empower future generations of bilingual and bicultural women pursuing careers in nursing and healthcare, following in Andi’s footsteps as a compassionate, skilled leader. More information may be found here: https://www.mountsaintmary.org/giving/scholarships

The family expresses their sincere gratitude to the staff at Azalea Trace, Willowbrook Court, Emerald Coast Hospice, and Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church. They particularly thank Nikki, Suzanne, Caroline, Ethel, Tasha, Vida, Sarah, Cindy, Weeder, Kaitlyn, Rae, Pastor Adams, Chaplain Jim Stickle, and the St. Paul and Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church communities.

Andi was loved, and will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and colleagues.