Stacy joined KEHS in September 1995, one of a crowd of new girls in our bug green and black uniforms. She very quickly drew a lot of friends to her, not because she was someone who chased the spotlight or tried to be in the “in crowd”, but because of her kindness, loyalty and effortless coolness. She was one of the few people with a strong network of friends across all the classes in our year and the boys’ school. Without trying or even noticing, she was a centre of gravity who held our world together.
Stacy was funny, but not cruel. Clever, but not cocky. Gentle, but no pushover. She loved silly fun – hitting the dance floor with joy and abandon, being passionate about soap opera Home & Away and throwing herself wholeheartedly, unironically into Eurovision every year. She was expert at getting from lessons to the dining room to be first in the queue for a slice of pizza, and the look of sheer misery on her face when Mrs Leonard made us do five laps of the hockey pitch was unforgettable. She had an achingly cool sense of style, sourced from charity shops and bargain bins. Hours could easily vanish chatting to Stacy – on the drive of her house at the end of a teenage night, or years later on the phone, sharing every detail of life. When we left school, Stacy moved up to Leeds to study classics, before settling down happily in Manchester, but she remained a constant friend for many. She was someone you knew you could call and chat as easily as though no time at all had passed.
Her career was as a public health analyst – first for Oldham Council and then for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – eventually completing a master’s degree in the field. But Stacy’s priority was her family. She was close to her parents and adored her two brothers, Alexi and Tom. She married Jack in 2013, a joyful day of flowers, homemade decorations and a bubblegum pink VW camper van. She had her daughter, Alexa, in 2015, and became a simply amazing mum. Stacy met her second husband, James, in 2021. When they had their wonderful son, Caolan, together in April 2023, Stacy’s family was complete. Heartbreakingly, this joy didn’t last long and in July, just three months after Caolan arrived, Stacy was diagnosed with cancer.
As with everything in her life, Stacy met this awful news with a positive mindset and with kindness. She was so brave in the final months of her life. Even in her worst times, she never stopped caring about those around her. In November 2023, Stacy and James invited their loved ones to a fabulous celebration of their marriage, with Stacy dancing the night away as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
When Stacy died at the start of 2024, a few months short of her 40th birthday, she left a horrible hole in so many people’s lives. The dozens of school friends who travelled up to her funeral were a testament to how much she still means to so many of us. We all miss her vivid personality and expansive beautiful spirit.
Rachel Coyle (née McLaughlin) (2002)
