George Russell Posey Sr.

(Asbury Park Press)

GEORGE RUSSELL POSEY SR.
AGE: 71 JACKSON
Russ entered this world on July 7, 1939, in the small town of St. Joseph, Tennessee, and departed this life on Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, at the age of 71 years, 4 months, and 5 days, suddenly at his home in Jackson, New Jersey. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Doris Barnett Posey; his sons, George Russell Posey Jr., and Jeffrey Barnett Posey; Rusty's wife Deanna and two grandsons, Jesse and Justin; a younger brother, Kenneth Bryan Posey and wife Linda Barnett Posey; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, friends and colleagues who will miss him tremendously. He was predeceased by his mother, Mary Evelyn Jernigan; his father, George Frank Posey; and his stepmother, Carolyn Christine Posey.
Russell grew up in Panama City, Fla., and graduated from Bay County High School in 1958 and attended UNA in Florence, Alabama. He and Doris met in Huntsville while he was serving as an instructor at the Army Ballistics Missile School at Redstone Arsenal and were married in 1965. Russ and Doris worked at Brown Engineering while in Huntsville. Russ then worked for JC Penney, moving the family to Atlanta, Ga., and then to Jackson, commuting to New York City JC Penney headquarters. After his retirement from JC Penney, Russ continued his government service, which had already included three years of active duty, again working for the Department of the Army, this time in the Project Management Office for Tactical Radio Communications Systems. As a Logistics Management Specialist, he supported the programs of PM TRCS and PM WIN-T such as SINCGARS and Joint Tactical Radio Systems for 17 years. This work took him on travel to Army bases in both the United States and abroad. Russ had many interests over and above his work. Over the years, he earned his pilot's license and enjoyed flying radio-controlled airplanes with his friend, Tom Taylor and with the members of his Ocean County Modeler's Club. He was a also an avid ham radio operator and along with members of the Ocean/Monmouth Amateur Radio Club, enjoyed meeting and talking with other ham operators from all over the world. He spent a great deal of time with his sons, Rusty and Jeff, and when they got older, he devoted much of his free time to working with them on various car, boat, and home projects. Russ enjoyed boating, RV travel, and travel in general. He shared a love of fishing with his brother, Kenneth and passed it on to his sons and grandsons, Jesse and Justin. For many years, Russ, Rusty, and Jeff made an annual trek to beautiful Lake Charlotte in Canada for a week of fishing with several like-minded friends. Russ and Doris have enjoyed trips to the Bahamas and Caribbean cruises with their friends, Bobbie and Tom, trips to Canada, Italy and, just last week, a cruise of the Mediterranean, with Doris' colleagues. And every year, sometimes twice a year, they would make the trip to Alabama to visit friends and family. As most of us do, Russ thoroughly enjoyed eating and he had some varied favorite foods. No trip to Alabama was complete without a certain pimiento cheese spread he could find only in Cullman, or a jar of boiled peanuts, but take him back "north" and it was more likely to be sushi that he would choose! Russ lived a full and happy life, but it was much, much too short and he will be sadly missed by his family and all who knew him.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17 until the funeral at 1 p.m. at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home Chapel, Cullman, Ala. Interment will be in Hopewell Cemetery.