My heart overflows with memories of this special man.  He was my best friend, a surrogate father,  my advisor when it came to questions about any kind of animal and an inspiration to all who knew him.  Donnie Ray Posey was born on April 23, 1933, to John W. and Maudie E. Taylor Posey.   He was born with spina bifida and not expected to live for more than five years.  To my benefit and everyone who came to know and love him, he lived for 61 years and 5 days. 

He endured many trials and tribulations in his life, but met each challenge with optimism and courage. Our cousin, Jimmy Dale Hodges, described in his eulogy how thoughts of Don helped him overcome many obstacles in his lifetime.  When he considered the tasks at hand insurmountable, he would think to himself, "Don could".  Bubba amazed us all with the many things he accomplished and his stubborn independence.

I was crazy about him as a child and completely in awe of him as an adult.  One of my favorite memories from my childhood is riding for hours with him in his pickup as we hauled cattle to the salebarn.  We would sing along with the radio with the wind blowing in our faces and I thought I was in heaven.  After I was grown and married, we would talk on the phone for hours.  We spent a lot of time fishing and he loved to come out and check our horses and cows with me. 

He had a natural gift for training God's creatures and was our own Dr. Dolittle.  He really could talk to the animals.  The colt and the dog in these pictures were two of his favorites.  He had many through the years, but these were the most special to him.  Punkin, the colt, thought she was a dog  and did many things that were unusual for a horse.   Booger didn't know he was a dog! 

He never met a stranger and was known throughout Lamar and surrounding counties.  He never forgot a face or went anywhere that he didn't know someone or they knew him.  He was a wonderful storyteller and remembered details that most would forget before the day was out.  He could never be replaced in my heart and I miss him terribly.

His mother wrote these words to him between the time that his father passed away in January, 1975, and her death in August, 1978.  I know that my grandmother was pleased when her prayers were answered in 1982 by his baptism into the church.

My mother and his sister, Jean Posey Jones, wrote a poem about him in February of 1994 when he was nearing the last day of his life.  She also wrote her thoughts down on his birthday in 1995.

He touched many lives in his lifetime and was memoralized in writing by his dear friend, Dinah Border.  Her words and my Mother's were read at his funeral.

Bubba was a remarkable person........ I hope I've conveyed just how special he was!