Ironically, she became more optimistic after his death.
ご質問ありがとうございます。
"Posthumously" を使うことは可能ですが、どちらかというと、作品(著作、曲等)などが死後、出版・発表される、という場合によく使われます。
例文:
"This nocturne by Frederic Chopin was published posthumously."
"This short fiction was discovered posthumously in the writer's attic."
ご参考になると幸いです。