Dorothy Faye Stack

Dorothy Faye Stack, 84 of Birmingham, Alabama passed away at home surrounded by family on March 22, 2026.

Dorothy Faye Stack was born the second of five children and the second of three daughters to John and Artie Stack on June sixth, 1941. Dorothy was just a baby during WW2. While her mother held down the fort at home, her daddy was off in the Alaska territory fixing engines for the Army air Corps. As the war drew to a close Dorothy would spend her formative years playing hopscotch with her schoolmates in the post-war boom times before the cold war began in earnest. It was a time when America was taking its place as the preeminent power in the world. American culture was dominated by the rise of television and Rock and Roll. And American culture was global culture. Dorothy, like many girls her age, was a huge Elvis fan, and in 1959 she graduated High School just in time to see the space race heating up. The Soviets were ahead, with the first Lunar fly-by, impact, and first photographs of the dark side of the moon. NASA replies by debuting the first American astronauts. Dorothy, in the midst of this began to crave adventure, and decided to join the Army like her father before her. She was instantly forbidden. Wanting change, she got busy pursuing an associate’s degree from business school. After this she landed a job at a small medical hub school doing clerical work. Before the decade was out this insignificant enterprise would become the titan we now know as UAB. Psychedelia and civil rights were the order of the day with the space race still bubbling away in the background. Star Trek first made its appearance in the latter half of the decade, and the scenery-chewing charisma of Shatner’s Captain Kirk made it an instant hit with Dorothy. She had a good job, she was happy, and she met a guy she liked a lot. It was a perfect time for Dorothy to get married, have a son, and get divorced just as quickly. She lost her job, she lost her marriage, but she still had her supportive family, her baby, and Captain Kirk. The space race was over. We’d got to the moon, the remains of 60s counterculture were fading away. And as the age of Disco arose, she raised that innocent child on a steady diet of Disco and Star Trek. That child was me, your humble narrator. But the bills had to be paid, as they always do, so Dorothy found data entry work at a check printer. Things were stable for a while. Malls arose. MTV made a cultural splash. Then Personal Computers and internet appeared music went from Rock to Grunge. Dorothy’s company moved. She refused to follow them and instead took a job at Wal-Mart. Time passed. Cell phones appeared. Music changed. Star Trek had a bald British captain now. Then a Female one. Dorothy rotated through position after position at Wal-Mart but always loved being a greeter most of all. She just loved people. She continued to work at Wal-Mart until her forced retirement due to injury. She couldn’t get around as well on her broken hip, so they didn’t want her anymore. But life went on. Dorothy missed work but also didn’t mind not working. She had time to write a book but didn’t write one. She didn’t think anyone would want to read it. She fell and rose back time and time again, frail broken bones becoming titanium and plastic and screws and rods. Star Trek had become unrecognizable. It was a political platform instead of a show now. Music was only good if it was twenty or more years old. But she still loved her family and listened and gave sound advice when she could. Dorothy always tried to be a peacemaker. Then one day she fell and unbelievably didn’t break anything, her legs just gave out from under her. She was just tired. And her stomach hurt. She just wanted a little relief from the pain and to go home. To return to normal life. But the cancer the doctors found inside her was too aggressive and too far gone. And in a little more than a week and a half Dorothy was gone too. But at least she made it home one last time.

She is survived by her son, Derek; Sister, Wanda; and her brothers, Sam and Jim.

She is Preceded in death by:

Father: John Frank Stack. Millwright at Sloss Furnace for 33 years. WW2 Army Mechanic. Skilled hunter, fisherman, rifleman, archer, and stock car racer.

Mother: Artie Mae Doss. Mother of five. Skilled Cook and textile artist, producing delicious meals, quilts and a wide range of knitted, and crocheted creations.

Pallbearers will be: Scott Allen, Bill Bebb, Aaron Coleman, Theresa Hawkins, Greg Skaggs, Derek Stack