Mrs. Dorothy Jean Stacey, 87, of Woodbury, Tennessee passed away Friday, February 18, 2022, at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She was born on Monday, July 23, 1934, in Nashville, Tennessee. Preceding her in death were her parents, William “Will” Robinson and Lillian Spencer Robinson Crosslin; husband, Elmer Pruitt Stacey, Sr.; sons, Pruitt Stacey, and Donald Stacey; brother, Roger Robinson; sisters, Sandra Murphy and Ruby Martin; and granddaughter, Candace Richardson.
She is survived by her daughters, Diane Foster of Shelbyville, Carolyn Jernigan of Murfreesboro, Linda (Steve) Duke of Woodbury, and Cathey (Ricky) Stahl of Murfreesboro; son, Buddy Stacey of Bell Buckle; brother, Wayne Robinson of Murfreesboro, grandchildren, Crystal (David) Haggary, Terry (Lynn) Stacey, Johnny (Bernice) Stacey, Johnathan (Lara) Jernigan, Stacey (Johnathan) Toombs, Michael Duke, Kim (Eric) Partridge, Dustin (Laura Beth) Stacey, Shaina (Zack) West, Anthony (Vanessa) Stacey, and Brandon Richardson; 23 great grandchildren, 4 great-great grandchildren, and dear friends, Wilma Prater and Helen Paschal.
If you knew Mrs. Dorothy, there were a few things you could say about her. One was she was likely the toughest lady you ever met. She went through a lot of hard times in her life, but even when the chips were down, don’t count her out. Just like a cat it seemed she had nine lives. Two was “Going” was her middle name. If anyone mentioned they were about to go somewhere, she already had her purse in hand ready to hit the road. When she could still drive, she would come up with reasons she needed to go somewhere or visit someone. After she couldn’t drive, one of her close friends, Wilma Prater, would come by to pick her up for outings. Another close friend was Helen Paschal, Mrs. Dorothy would call them up in the mornings just like she was their alarm clock to see what was going on and what they were all going to get into.
Another thing you could say was she knew how to cook, and every meal was laid out like a Thanksgiving feast. With seven kids and a bus load of grandkids and great grandkids she didn’t really know how to cook for a small group. Some of the family favorites were banana pudding, asparagus, and minute steak with onions and tomatoes. Cooking for a crowd went hand in hand with the plan she and her husband Elmer had to open a restaurant on the square in Murfreesboro called the Eat Shop. Mrs. Dorothy had a sweet tooth that wouldn’t quit. She would rather have dessert than a regular meal. Her brother would often come by with a box full of a favorite treat of donuts.
Hard work didn’t scare her a bit, whether it was taking care of her family at home or going out to earn a living at one of the numerous places she worked through the years. Whatever she did, she did it right. She and another friend owned and operated Jake’s Auction in McMinnville. It was a job she enjoyed because it encompassed two of her favorite hobbies. When they needed items to auction on Saturday, she would go to all the local yard sales, storage auctions, and estate sales and get good deals on the things that would sell best at their auction. The real fun came on Friday nights at Jake’s. It was wrestling night. They would book local wrestlers to come in and put on a show for the crowd. She loved seeing all the action and the wrestlers loved her and would often come give her a big hug and kiss.
Faith in God and love for her family were at the top of her list. Her giving spirit fit well with the Bible’s Golden Rule of love thy neighbor and it is more blessed to give than to receive. Many friends, family members, or strangers were recipients of her love, care, cooking, and generosity. God blessed her with motherly wisdom. It often flowed from her and wasn’t shy to tell you what she thought about a particular subject. Over the years her love of the Lord lead, her to different churches, her home church was at Living Springs, but she would often find herself at Plainview Baptist in recent years. Old school gospel music by the likes of Loretta Lynn and George Jones topped her charts over any of the contemporary Christian music. In church she loved to hear and sing the old-time gospel hymns.
Mrs. Dorothy’s adventurous side and love of going didn’t fade as she got older. She was well in her 80’s when she took her first plane ride to visit her sister in South Carolina. The family made sure to indulge and spoil her with frequent trips out to eat, birthday parties, and shopping sprees. When she was out and about she wanted her nails done and her lipstick on. After all the going when she did get home, she was happy to get out the old faithful sponge hair rollers to get her hair ready for the next big adventure. She was happy to recline in her chair with her curlers, a pair of warm slippers and blanket to rest up for wherever tomorrow would lead her. Her family will have many happy memories of the family gatherings and going with Mrs. Dorothy to cherish in the years to come.
Visitation will be held at Gentry-Smith Funeral Home on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, from 4-8 pm. Funeral services will be Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 11 am in the Gentry-Smith Funeral Home chapel. Greg Mitchell will officiate. Interment will be in Jernigan Cemetery. Share memories and condolences at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337 Because every life has a story
