Carla Coarsey

Carla Labruce Coarsey was a joy to her family and friends. She had an unforgettable, contagious laugh. Even when illness left her with very little strength, her sense of humor remained.
Carla, 69, a longtime resident of Trenton, Florida, passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. She was born on July 1, 1957, in Charleston, South Carolina, to Victor Byrd Shipley and Helen Labruce Shipley.
She shared more than 50 years of marriage with Robert Ernest Coarsey. They would have celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary on January 2.
Carla spent her lifetime caring for other people, serving as an advocate for victims at the State Attorney’s Office. Helping people through some of their hardest days was an important part of her life’s work.
Carla taught her children that their value in life is not measured by how much money they make or what kind of job they have, but by the way they care for others and by how willing they are to forgive. She taught them to make allowances for others’ mistakes because we all fall short at times.
“Garbage in, garbage out” and “Pretty is as pretty does” were familiar sayings in their home. They reflected her belief that who a person is on the inside matters most. She taught her children to be accountable for their own actions and to be careful not to judge others. Her love did not depend on perfect choices. She gave her children room to be themselves, even if she didn’t always understand.
Helen and Victor Shipley raised a true reflection of their own goodness, and Carla was so very proud to be their daughter. She believed that true beauty was found in kindness and in the way we treat others. She believed that no human being is more valuable than another. To Carla, no person was more important, regardless of position or circumstance.
Carla’s joyful spirit was inherited from her own mother and passed down to her only son. Her family was at the heart of her life, and she gave them a steady love that will be profoundly missed.
Her friends described her as kind, gentle, generous, understanding, patient, faithful, and honest to a fault. She had an unforgettable laugh, and she laughed often. She never met a stranger, and every person she encountered was welcomed as though they belonged. Her love reached far beyond her family. Carla loved to dance and fish, and she loved the beach.
Carla knew Christ and was ready to go to her true home. Her family finds deep comfort in that assurance.
She is survived by her husband, Robert Ernest Coarsey; her son, James Robert Coarsey; her daughter, Robbi Coarsey Avery, and her son-in-law, Christopher Avery; her grandson, Ethan Robert Hatfield; her siblings, Charlie Shipley and Victor Shipley; the brothers and sister she gained through marriage and loved as her own, Willy Coarsey, Margaret Coarsey Mills, Ricky Coarsey, Raymond Coarsey; and many cherished nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2026, followed by a celebration of her life at 2:00 p.m. at Pine Grove Baptist Church in Trenton, Florida. Carla will be laid to rest near her beloved parents at Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery.
Her family is deeply grateful for the prayers, love, and kindness shown to them during this difficult time.