John Everett Posey, 89, last surviving member of Company B, 240th Field Artillery Battalion, passed away Saturday, February 2, 2013 at Tampa General Hospital in Florida, with his daughter by his side. John was born November 4, 1923 to John and Ethel Hogue Posey in Clarksville, Tennessee, the youngest of five children.
John Posey was a World War II veteran, and was awarded two Purple Hearts, an Army Good Conduct Medal for exemplary service, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. John’s service began at the age of 15 when he joined the Tennessee National Guard as a member of Troop K-109th Horse Cavalry; his horse was Krazy Kat. A year later, John became a member of the Tennessee National Guard’s 181 st Field Artillery Regiment that went into federal service on February 24, 1941. Once in the U.S. Army, John was stationed at Camp White, Medford, Oregon as a member of the 240th Field Artillery Battalion, which was activated on August 20, 1942, and deployed overseas arriving in England on June 25, 1944, and entering France-ETO on August 10, 1944. The 240th Field Artillery Battalion entered combat at the Battle of the Bulge on December 24, 1944 from the North as one of three independent battalions attached with the 5th Armored Division. John was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge on December 26, 1944, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. During the war, John was a Staff Sergeant Section Chief of a 155mm howitzer (Long Tom) ground mount unit.
John Posey married his high school sweetheart, Lessie Dean Posey, in July, 1942 in Hopkinsville, KY. They were happily married for over 65 years. After WWII, John and Lessie lived in Florida briefly before returning home to Clarksville where they opened Posey’s Cash Grocery. John joined civilian service at Fort Campbell, KY providing supplies to the troops for over 32 years until his retirement from federal government service.
John was an active member of his community. He led the first training classes for Fallout Shelter construction during the 1960’s. He served as an election official for over two decades for Montgomery County. He was a volunteer at the Ajax Turner Senior Citizen Center in Clarksville. He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the latter for which he served as the 6th district DAV Past Commander and as the DAV Past Commander for the Hardy-Shelby Chapter 45.
John will be dearly missed by his family and friends who remember him as a generous, outgoing, positive person who made friends easily and loved to make others laugh. He enjoyed his grandchildren, fishing and making jewelry.
John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ethel Hogue Posey, his brother, R. A. Posey, two sisters, Geneva Posey and Marion Posey Malone and his wife, Lessie Dean Posey.
John is survived by his two daughters, Deborah Carnes (Wilson), Knoxville, TN and Patsy Peavyhouse, Cookeville, TN; four grandchildren, Clare Carnes Shepherd and Matt Shepherd, M.D., Boone, NC, Aliya Carnes, Atlanta, GA., Sarah Carnes, Knoxville, TN, Christie Peavyhouse Manous (Ryan), Woodbury, TN; four great grandchildren, Emma, Lily and Hannah Shepherd and James Manous; one brother, Lawrence Posey and wife Gerry Posey, Hopkinsville, KY; and Bettie Dennis, Tampa, FL.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 12:00 pm at Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Chapel. Minister Don Helton, of Oakland Church of Christ, will be officiating. Burial will follow at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West. The family will greet friends from 11:00 am until the time of service on Thursday, February 7, 2013 at Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Funeral Home (1510 Madison Street, Clarksville, TN, 37040, 931-645-6488).
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Disabled American Veterans, http://www.dav.org/, or to the Wounded Warriors Project, http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/. Arrangements entrusted to Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Funeral Home, 1510 Madison Street, Clarksville, TN 37040. Online condolences may be made at www.neal-tarpley.com.