Stacey Brown’s smile. We all remember it. What she wanted most in life was to be happy, and in turn, wanted everyone around her to be happy. So with that smile—and a laugh that almost always followed behind—she’d make her way down the school hallways, behind the pharmacy desk, around town. Meet her for the first time? You’re her new friend. Known her for years? You couldn’t leave without a smile. Even on her hardest days, she was first one to say hello, to tell you how beautiful you were or how nice, to coo over your baby. She was the first to give you love and to pull you into a hug. Stacey loved everyone no matter who you were or where you came from.

Sadly, Stacey passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 8. For all of us who knew and loved her, we want to take the time to return the love to her and her family, to pull them into a hug. We’re raising money for a plaque, a bench and a tree in Penn Oaks to honor her life. Like Stacey herself, the bench will provide a place to lean on when you’re tired or one to simply relax and enjoy kids, people, life swirling about. The tree will help us keep her memory alive as it grows over the years.

We’re also asking that if you’d like to provide photos and your favorite stories of her, please upload it here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B77-E5N3va5CflRhTDh6MExGdk8yQ3VZelR5bWF2bzV1R1J6cEJtQW8xTjNRSEdkOW1kNVk&authuser=0. If you do not have a Google account or have issues uploading photos, send the stories and photos directly to [email redacted]. We’ll be creating a memory book for her loved ones. In life, Stacey very much wanted to be loved, and we hope she finally feels how many people truly loved her.

If you read over people’s tribute to this beautiful soul, you see one phrase continually: “light up a room.” From here on out, we hope you let her memories light up your heart. 

Love, the CYHS Class of 1999