Carol Posey, who died unexpectedly after surgery on Monday, December 13, 2021, was an extraordinary woman who combined the qualities of a gracious Southern lady with those of a tenacious social worker who was determined to improve life, especially for the marginalized and the disadvantaged. She was a warm and vibrant person who embraced life and the living with kindness, love, and generosity.

Born Edith Carol Posey in Jackson, MS, in 1941, Carol was always a leader. She organized the "Silly Peoples' Club" around age 9 and invited her siblings and neighborhood children to join, while she made the rules and wrote the By-Laws. This was a password-protected group: In response to the query, "Ain't you got no sense?" members had to respond "Course not" to be admitted.

Carol expanded her influence on others at Millsaps College (BA) and Saint Louis University (MSW), where she demonstrated against the Vietnam War and in favor of racial justice. She persuaded her skeptical roommates to join her in attending a Black Panther meeting and marching in war protests. In 1964, Carol joined the Peace Corps and served two years in Isfahan, Iran, where she made life-long friends. She managed well in a culture which was so different, including men's attitudes toward women. Carol so enjoyed the food that after returning to the USA she recreated Persian dishes to share with family and friends.

Arriving in NW Florida in 1971, Carol moved to her beloved Pensacola Beach, bought a motorcycle, and went to work as a psychotherapist for Family and Children's Services at Lakeview Center. In 1986, she left her position as Director of Adult Outpatient Services to go into private practice. This was a risky pioneering move, as she and Marcy Moreland were the first Licensed Clinical Social Workers to establish an independent private practice in Pensacola. Carol served as an adjunct in the Social Work Department at the University of West Florida and mentored many students and colleagues during her professional career. Retiring in 2007, Carol was a life-long learner who was working on her CEUs for license renewal when she died. She was a member of the National Association of Social Workers and a recipient of the Social Worker of the Year award from the Northwest Florida Unit.

Carol met her future spouse, Gayle Privette in the 1970s and they married in 2016 when the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal. For 39 years they shared a life of actively volunteering service at both community and national levels. Carol and Gayle did group work locally through Escambia Aids Services & Education to HIV+/AIDS sufferers and their families when the disease appeared in Pensacola; traveled to New York with the Red Cross to help first responders after the bombing of the World Trade Center; and campaigned politically knocking on doors in Indiana in the hope of electing the first woman president. Above all, they developed a policy of "tithing to the world," extending kindness, compassion, and in some cases, financial aid to less prosperous people.

Carol enjoyed traveling and visited China, Spain, Mexico, and Africa, as well as various places in the USA. An accomplished sailor, she could steer a large boat directly into the slip under wind power. Carol was a great cook, using her supertaster ability and extensive collection of Southern Living Cookbooks to create scrumptious meals. Also, a published poet, she enjoyed writing and assisting others by editing their written works. Perhaps Carol's biggest superpower was that she combined technological skill with her softer qualities and could make all the electronic equipment in the house sing in unison. She was amazingly persistent in making this happen.

Carol faced a number of medical challenges in the years since her retirement but always remained determined to thrive and worked to maintain her mobility and independence. Losing inches of her height aggrieved her, and she took umbrage at being underestimated or treated as frail.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Mary Edith and Wesley Posey; her sister and brother-in-law, Marla and Jack Wills; as well as her brother, Bob Posey.

Carol is survived by her spouse, Gayle Privette; her brother, Joe (DeAnn) and children Carter (Audrey) Posey and Sarah (Tom) Click and children Joe, Ian, and Helen; her niece, Jennifer (Brum) Elliot and sons Clayton Erwin and Parker Erwin; her niece, Caroline (Andy) Yaxley and sons Malachi, George, and Samuel; her sister-in-law, Gene (Herbert) Fischer, and children Lys Purrucker and Richard (Han) Lilly and their children Jack and Cynthia; her uncle Lamar Noble; as well as many cousins, extended family, and many dear friends, including her Snowshoe cats, Frankie and Zoe.

Immediately following the 10:30am Sunday, September 11, 2022, Worship Service , at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church there will be a committal service in the church memorial garden for Carol (Approx. 12noon).

If you want to make a memorial gift, consider contributing to an outreach fund which would speak to her heart, Carol Posey Refugee Fund at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, C/O St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, 3200 N. 12th Ave., Pensacola, FL 32503.

"It is all about love. That is life." Carol Posey