Laura Ann McWhorter Dorsey Stackhouse passed away at 4:40pm on June 26, 2018 at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, NY after battling a brief period of serious illness. Laura was a resident of Bishop Nursing Home, formerly named James Square Nursing Home at 918 James St., Syracuse, NY. Her former home address was 708 James St., Apt 117, Syracuse, NY.

Laura Ann McWhorter was born in Nashville, Tennessee and as an infant was relocated to Philadelphia, PA by her late father Abner Grover Cleveland McWhorter. The Mcwhorter clan had roots in Nashville and Chattanooga, TN. Laura lived her childhood in Philadelphia where she was raised by Sadie D'ethel McWhorter, maiden name Burkes. As a young girl, Laura shared the birth of her first son, Walter Ricardo McWhorter (Ricky) with the late, George Cook. She later met and married Nelson James Dorsey and the two of them moved to Camden, NJ where their union was blessed with five children, James Edward Dorsey, Patricia Ann Dorsey (Pat), Irene D'ethel Dorsey (Deedee), Sylvia Amanda Dorsey Reid and Nelson Jonathan Dorsey.

After a tumultuous separation from her late husband, Nelson James Dorsey, Laura struggled to raise her children alone and her failed attempts catapulted and later caused the separation of this helpless mother from all of her children. More failures loomed for Laura as she fought to regain custody of her children. Fearing a permanent separation from her children, Laura died a slow death inside and reincarnated into a woman that she felt she could live with, without guilt. She moved to Syracuse, NY where she would assume the alias of 'Sylvia', and marry James R. Stackhouse. With this new life she would bury thoughts of her children, her love lost and her past life's failures hoping they would haunt her no more. Laura and James Stackhouse ended their marriage after more than 20 years together.

After what turned out to be a lifetime of separation from her children and their offspring, Laura lived the final years of her life alone, but not lonely for her strong faith in God and prayer remained her true comforts.

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