Ralph Stacy certainly did not seem like a prime suspect to commit suicide. He was 53, with a wife, Angel, and a daughter, Savannah. Friends and colleagues described him as a jovial man who was a popular speaker and didn't mind poking fun at himself. The Montgomery Advertiser wrote:
Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said Stacy's personality made him stand out in any group.
"He was just so gregarious and so friendly," Strange said.
Randy George, president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, noted Stacy's long commitment to chamber interests. That career also included a stint leading the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.
"He did a magnificent job," George said. "Ralph was one of those people who was truly bigger than life."
Stacy was a hefty man with a large smile who was just as likely to joke about his baldness as any other subject. That made him popular on the speaker circuit.
"He was a really dynamic and entertaining guy," George said.
Stacy had become an advocate for business as a young man in south Alabama. Wrote the Greenville Advocate:
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