Mary Doris Carney

Dr. Doris Carney was born on September 17, 1927, in Peggs, Oklahoma, to Martha and Millard Payne. She and her family lived in Thrifty, TX, until she was 7 years old, when they moved to Alabama. She died on December 11, 2025, in Bessemer, Alabama, at the age of 98. Dr. Carney was married to Rupert Courington and then, most recently, to Fred Carney for over 41 years; both men predeceased Dr. Carney.

Dr. Carney grew up in Hueytown, AL, and graduated from Hueytown High School. She put herself through community college and graduated from Howard College (Samford University), working at the Baptist Book Store and other jobs. She was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. Soon after, Dr. Carney worked at the Scripps National Institute of Marine Biology in California. She then served as a microbiologist, developing her skills in electron microscopy at UCLA. Her next stop was the University of Southern California Medical School, where she graduated as the only female in her class. She then specialized in pathology with an emphasis on cancer research. She was board-certified in anatomic pathology.

Among the professional positions Dr. Carney held were: a residency/fellowship position at the University of Colorado; staff of the National Institute of Health, Maryland; a faculty position at the University of Alabama, Birmingham; and, finally, as a partner in Duckworth Pathology Group, Memphis, Tennessee, for over thirty years. Dr. Carney was well-traveled, well-read, with many interests, and had accumulated a large library of her beloved books.

Her family included five siblings: Talmadge (Loree, May), Pauline (Wayne), Ione (Dick), Weldon (Barbara), and Buddy; all are predeceased, excluding Barbara. She left behind many nieces and nephews, stepchildren, and step-grandchildren, who she loved. She was known as generous, intelligent, compassionate, and a great storyteller. She valued education highly and believed in dreaming and achieving big things, and was very active in philanthropy. Dr. Carney was a trailblazer in medicine and an advocate for women in all professions. Dr. Carney grew up in the Baptist church and attended Methodist churches later in life. She had strong opinions and cherished her family and her home that she built in the mountains of Salida, CO. She will be missed.

A Visitation will be held on December 21, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Johns-Ridout's Mortuary-Elmwood Chapel, located at 800 Dennison Ave SW, Birmingham, Alabama, 35211-3812.

A Graveside Service will follow in Elmwood Cemetery 600 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Birmingham, Alabama 35211 on the same day, December 21, 2025 at 2:00 pm.