Home Where He Belongs

Marilyn and Posey, 1986.

At 8:24 pm last night my father-in-law, Posey Steele, went home to be with Jesus. He was 88 years old. He fought hard for 8 days after taking after a terrible last weekend and suffering a severe head trauma, but it was time for him to go to "the mansion prepared for him" by his Savior. He leaves behind Marie, his wife of 67 years; daughters Marilyn, Linda and Carol; grandchildren Spring and Will; and great-grandchildren Danielle, Evan and Ryder as well as other extended family members. But to stop with his family would be to miss out on the wonder of Posey. He leaves behind the town of Elkin, NC, where it seems most everyone knew him from his days as a mail carrier, his retirement days working at the local Food Lion grocery store or his regular stops to have a biscuit with his boys at a local eatery. He leaves behind his beloved Poplar Spring Baptist Church, where he he served many roles over the years including that of deacon and faithful member of the choir. And perhaps moist importantly for this day and this week, he leaves behind a legacy of stories and memories for everyone who ever knew him. I take comfort in knowing that while his body is finally at rest after years of physical struggles, Posey will live on in our hearts and minds because there will ALWAYS be one more Posey story to tell- and over the coming weeks I share tell some of them. He will be missed. But we are confident that because of the grace and mercy of the love of God whose name is Jesus, we will see him again. And he'll probably be watching wrestling...

As I write on this Sunday morning I realize the coming weeks are going to be a little crazy. Marilyn, Will & I are leaving for NC today instead of next weekend as originally planned. We do not yet know any of the arrangements for Posey's funeral, we just know we need to get up there. I will be driving back with Will later this week so he can continue working 2 jobs and getting ready for fall courses to begin. Then I will drive back up next weekend and rejoin Marilyn and her family. Beyond that, I am uncertain what will happen or how long we will actually be in NC. There are many of you we look forward to seeing while there, but the schedule of when and where is now much more up in the air. We will be in touch. This blog may be out of commission for a few days, but by the end of the week I should be able to let you know more about what's going on with us. If you have my cell number, please feel free to use it.

I ask for prayers for the entire Steele family, but especially for Posey's loving wife, Marie. Losing a loved one is never easy; losing a spouse after 67 years is almost unimaginable. Her faith is strong, but her body is weak and her loss is great. Please lift her into the Light and ask God to give her strength to carry on. We thank those of you who have been praying since last weekend, and please know that those prayers have been felt both here and in NC. We shall continue to lean on your prayers and a faithful God in the coming days. Be well, my friends.

Because of Jesus,