Christopher Aaron Posey died Feb. 3 after a long and challenging battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 45. Posey earned his undergraduate degree from Tusculum University in Knoxville and his law degree from the Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida. Prior to pursuing a career in law, Posey spent 20 years as an auto sales consultant in Knoxville, as a part owner of Quality Auto Sales in Knoxville and then in Naples with high-end luxury brands. Visitation will be held Saturday from 1-2 p.m. EST in the chapel of West-Murley Funeral Home, 18641 Alberta St., Oneida 37841. A funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, P.O. Box 5041, Boone, IA 50950; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Salvatore "Sal" William Varsalona died Sunday at age 60. In 1993, Varsalona became an attorney and began his practice in Clinton, Tennessee. Varsalona was a longtime Anderson County resident and lawyer. He represented the Anderson County Board of Education and was a former city judge in Rocky Top, previously known as Lake City. A celebration of life will be held at 6:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 11 at Main Street Baptist Church in Rocky Top, where he was a longtime member. Memorial contributions may be made to a new youth facility at Main Street Baptist Church, P.O. Box 405, Rocky Top, TN 37769.

Memphis attorney Julia "Judy" Stokes Sayle died Jan. 30 at age 84. After receiving her degree in elementary education in 1962, Sayle became a legal secretary, but later enrolled in night classes and graduated with a law degree in 1970 from the then-Memphis State University. She worked in private practice with Pope, Sayle & Douglas until she and her husband opened their solo practice, Sayle & Sayle Attorneys, where she served until retirement. Services will be Feb. 8 at Elmwood Cemetery Chapel, 824 S. Dudley St., Memphis 38104 with visitation at 1 p.m. and funeral services at 2 p.m. CST and burial following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to Daughters of the Nile Endowment Fund benefiting Shriners Children's or a charity of the donor's choice.

Brentwood attorney Gary Rubenstein, known as "Rube," died Saturday evening. Rubenstein earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. He began his legal career clerking at Schulman, LeRoy & Bennett in Nashville while in law school, eventually becoming a partner with the firm. He worked there until his retirement in 2023. Rubenstein's practice focused primarily on insurance defense, surety bond issues and landlord-tenant matters, serving management companies in the Middle Tennessee area. He also lectured on landlord-tenant issues and real estate law and taught business law at John Gupton College of Mortuary Science for more than 30 years. Visitation will be tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST at Williamson Memorial Gardens in Franklin. Services will follow at 1 p.m., with a graveside service immediately followng. Memorials may be made to The Jimmy Fund.

Knoxville lawyer Debra Ann Poole died at the age of 70. Poole, a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, was a founder of the Smoky Mountain Planned Giving Council and was active in the nonprofit community, serving as a board member and foundation staff. A celebration of life will be held in her memory at 10 a.m. EST Feb. 15 at Erin Presbyterian Church, 200 Lockett Rd., Knoxville, TN 37919. Memorial donations may be made to Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, P.O. Box 1660, Kodak, TN 37764-7660.

Samuel “Randy” Randolph Ayres died Jan. 22 at age 86. After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1963, Ayres practiced law in Athens and served as a circuit court judge for the 10th Judicial District. Visitation will be Jan. 31 from 12:30–2 p.m. CST at Rose Funeral & Cremation — Mann, 6200 Kingston Pike, Knoxville 37919. A memorial service will immediately follow visitation.

Charles "Chuck" Sterling Sexton died Jan. 21 at age 71. He graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, in 1978 and went on to practice law in Sevierville until his retirement in 2020. Sexton served 10 years as Sevier County’s first public defender and also served eight years as trial justice judge. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to First Baptist Church Sevierville (music ministry, missions, media ministry or Christmas store) 317 Parkway, Sevierville, TN 37862; to the donor's home church; or to a family in need.

Retired University of Tennessee (UT) law professor Fred Le Clercq died Jan. 12 at age 88. Le Clercq earned a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and received his law degree from Duke University School of Law. He was briefly employed by his father-in-law, Ben Scott Whaley, at the Barnwell Whaley Law Firm in Charleston, South Carolina. Le Clercq was hired by the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1970. He began at the UT Legal Clinic and soon became a law professor, a position he held until 1996, educating an entire generation of Tennessee lawyers. His favorite courses were constitutional law and civil procedure and he was known as an outspoken supporter of the civil rights movement. A memorial service was held Saturday at St. Philip's Cathedral in Charleston.

Miller Bruce Sullivan died Jan. 15 at age 25. A Knoxville native, he graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville with a degree in political science and religious studies, going on to law school at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. In October, he celebrated passing the Tennessee Bar Exam and joined the Cole Law Group in Brentwood. Visitation will be from 1-3 p.m. EST on Jan. 25, at Fountain City Presbyterian Church, 500 Hotel Rd., Knoxville 37918, followed by a memorial service at 3 p.m. The memorial service will be livestreamed on the church's Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either UT UKirk Campus Ministry or The National Epilepsy Foundation.

James William "Bill" Stinnett Jr. died Tuesday at age 96. A U.S. Navy veteran, Stinnett served as city judge in Ashland City until his death, possibly making him the oldest serving judge in Tennessee until his recent illness, according to the Tennessean. He earned his law degree from YMCA Night Law School (now Nashville School of Law [NSL]) and in 2012, he and his partner, Bill Wilkinson, received the Distinguished Alumni Award from NSL. The family will receive visitors from 4-6 p.m. CST on Monday and on Tuesday from 10 a.m. until noon at Cheatham County Funeral Home, 117 Elizabeth St., Ashland City 37015. Services will be held Tuesday at noon in the funeral home's chapel, with burial to follow at EverRest of Cheatham in Pleasant View. Donations may be made to Shriners Hospital or St. Jude Children's Hospital.