2-25-2024 2:17pm

Stacey Bryant had a passion for massage, gardening, and crafting

Michael McGinnis Editor

Stacey Marie Bryant (1973-2024)

Stacey Marie Bryant left this earth on Friday, February 9, 2024 surrounded by family after a long illness.

Stacey was the oldest child to Jean and Hershel Burleson and graduated from Harlem High School in 1992, with her sister Raven a few years behind. Stacey's first passion would continue for her entire life: plants. She was one of a small group of local 14 year olds selected for a recruit program at Woodward Governor. It was here she met her future husband Mark Bryant. At first, they didn't get along very well. When she fell on the rocks at work, Mark asked what he could do to help. Her reply was "just stand there looking like an idiot," and this is exactly what Mark did. By the end of high school, Stacey was bringing dinner every night to Mark at work.

After high school, Stacey and Mark moved to Butte, Montana for Mark to finish schooling. Stacey has a knack for knowing everyone. There wasn't a person she met that she didn't instantly draw into her bubble. People called home from a Sturgis biker bar because they saw her singing karaoke. One time she yelled across Old Faithful in Yellowstone to someone she knew from back in Illinois. 2001 saw the birth of their first child Garion, followed in 2005 by the birth of their second child Rose. Mark and Stacey were married for 28 years.

Throughout the years, her passion for gardening never waned, and her enthusiasm for crafting grew. If you knew Stacey, you know There were many crafting parties both at her house and around the United States. Once the kids were old enough, Stacey went back to school for what would become her life's calling, massage. For the rest of her life, Stacey dedicated herself to providing healing and compassion to all her clients and friends. Her room at the Hair Affair Salon in Machesney Park was always booked, with people leaving with less pain and soreness than they came to her with. Stacey had to leave her massage practice in 2022 when she was diagnosed with cancer, but she never stopped fighting to get back to helping people.

Stacey is survived by her husband Mark Bryant, children Garion and Rose, sister Raven, mother Jean Burleson, mother-in-law and father-in-law Lorna and Ken Bryant, and sister-in-laws Jennifer and Chelsae. Stacey has a wide circle of friends, too many to name, who meant a lot to her. Mark will host a party to celebrate her life and energy early this summer when everyone can enjoy her yard and the pool.