Patrick Carey

One year ago Patrick Poindexter Carey, a beloved resident of Boca Grande for 25 years, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Over the past 12 months he has given new and profound meaning to “living with grace.” As he lived, he also died, leaving a legacy of service to his community and graciousness to all who knew him.  

Patrick was born in Memphis, Tenn., on August 23, 1938, to Ethel Poindexter Carey and Samuel Davids Carey and baptized at St. John’s Episcopal Church. He attended Campus School and graduated from the Baylor School in Chattanooga. He began his university career at Sewanee and then worked at H. W. Mosby Lumber Manufacturing in Helena, Ark.  

Patrick joined the army in 1959, training at Fort Leonard Wood. While stationed in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks, he met his first wife, Arvelle Williams. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from San Francisco State University. In 1965 he returned to Memphis and joined his father in the family business, Sam Carey Lumber Company.

As an active leader in his industry, Patrick served on the board of the National Hardwood Lumber Association and as president of the Lumbermen’s Club of Memphis. He was elected Memphis Lumberman of the Year by the Lumberman’s Club in 1998 and retired a year later.

Although Patrick has often been described as a “gentle man” as well as a consummate gentleman, he did not hesitate to stand up and to speak his voice for social harmony and progressive politics. An active supporter of positive race relations, gay rights, and advancements in the visual and performing arts, he was a founding member of the Wolf River Society in Memphis and a vestry member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Memphis and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Boca Grande.

He served on the board of Memphis College of Art, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Memphis, and the Johann Fust Community Library in Boca Grande. His talents flourished as a performer, as well as a board member, of the Royal Palm Players. He won an Anna Award as “Best Supporting Actor” in “Bus Stop,” and he will always be remembered for his portrayal of Dr. Cukrowicz in the dramatic reading of “Suddenly Last Summer.” His voice and enthusiasm will be forever missed in the Boca Grande Barbershop Chorus.

Patrick nurtured a lifelong interest in literature, especially Southern fiction and the work of William Faulkner. He was an active member and presenter of the Boca Grande Literature Forum. He avidly collected the work of local artists in both communities where he lived.

A devoted baseball fan, Patrick attended hundreds of Florida spring training games. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf and was an active canoeist, whitewater rafter and hiker, ascending mile-high peaks and higher in the Smoky Mountains and the Rockies well into his sixties. An intrepid fisherman, he loved fishing for snook and redfish in the Charlotte Harbor.

Patrick was a member of Lemon Bay Golf and Boca Bay Pass Club in Boca Grande.

He is survived by his wife Kay, who has been his beloved companion for nearly 27 years; his brother, John Carey and partner, Dudley Hogue; his children from his first marriage, Rachel Carey DeBusk and

Eleanor Davids Carey, and their husbands, David DeBusk and Scott Ware; his stepson, Steven Johnson; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis on January 15, and a service will be held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Boca Grande on Thursday Jan. 24 at 4 p.m..

Patrick’s family has requested that memorial contributions be sent to the Johann Fust Library Foundation and designated for the building fund.

( 1 Vote )