Stacey Simpson Duke

The Reverent Doctor Stacey Simpson Duke, age 51, of Ann Arbor, died on Monday, February 27, 2023. Stacey was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. As an Army brat, she moved seven times by the age of 10 and attended a different school every year until junior high. After graduating high school in Columbus, Georgia, she attended Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion in 1993. She then went to seminary at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, graduating with her Master of Divinity Degree in 1996. She later went back to school and earned her Doctor of Ministry Degree with a focus on Gospel and Culture from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia in 2017. Stacey was married to the Reverend Dr. Paul Simpson Duke on February 10, 2001; he survives her. Together they served as Co-Pastors at First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor for the past 22 years and as the American Baptist Campus Ministers to University of Michigan students. Since 2011, Stacey also served as the Minister to Youth at First Baptist. Prior to their shared ministry in Ann Arbor, she served as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Edison, Georgia, for almost 5 years. At the time she was one of only two female Baptist pastors in the state. The Lily Foundation selected the church as one of America’s outstanding Protestant churches. Stacey was vibrant, fierce, funny, creative, resilient, filled with life and love. She loved writing, teaching, preaching, knitting, running, singing, reading, improv, cooking, baking, and being a good friend and a great mom. She had a large online following. Stacey lived with stage-four cancer (leiomyosarcoma) for 6 years, and her many posts, honest and brave, about her experience with cancer were an inspiration to many. She leaves a legacy of countless people whose lives were deeply touched by her example, her faith, and her love. Stacey is survived by her husband, Paul; her twin sons, Robert “Rob” and Charles “Charlie”; her brother, Sloan Simpson of Athens, Georgia; her like-a-sister cousin, Sheree (Ty) Tolbert of Columbus; her daughter-in-law, Stephanie (Leonard) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; her son-in-law, Chris (Lindsay) of Ann Arbor; her brother-in-law, John Duke of Birmingham, Alabama; her sister-in-law, Marcia Duke of Liberty, Missouri; her nephew, Wesley (Katie) Duke of Kansas City, Missouri; her niece, Hillary (Jason) White of Arlington Heights, Illinois; her great nephews and great nieces; and many more beloved relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her mother, Bernice Simpson; her father, Colonel Robert B. Simpson; her mother-in-law, Wilma Duke; and her brother-in-law, David Nelson Duke. A Memorial Service will be held at First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor at 1:00 P.M. on Friday, March 10, with the Reverend Dr. Heather Entrekin officiating. Visitation will take place from 12:00 P.M. until the time of service at 1:00 P.M. Following the service, a reception will be held at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Stacey’s name may be made to First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor, 517 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, or Amos Health and Hope (c/o the church), or Leiomyosarcoma Support and Direct Research (LMSDR), Post Office Box 52697, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74152. To sign her guestbook or for directions please visit www.rbfhsaline.com.

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Stacey Simpson Duke

June 4, 1971 - February 27, 2023