Stacey Schumacher Badger, 56, passed away on Jan. 16, 2023, in Salem, Oregon. She was born June 27, 1966, in Hays, the daughter of Leon Schumacher and Stephanie Jacobs Schumacher.
Stacey was a graduate of the class of 1984 from Hays High School. She then attended Kansas State University from 1984 to 1988, where she earned two bachelor’s degrees: one in Spanish and another in journalism and mass communications.
Her senior year at Kansas State, Stacey was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and went on to graduate cum laude. Not long after graduating with her bachelor’s degrees, she made the decision to study law and attended the University of Kansas where she graduated in 1993 with a Juris Doctor degree.
Stacey soon began her legal career in Carbondale, Ill., where she worked as a legal intern for the Illinois Migrant Legal Assistance Project (IMLAP), performing outreach and providing legal assistance to migrant farmworkers there.
In 1996, she made the move to Chicago; to work as a staff attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago (LAF), an organization that provides legal services to the economically disadvantaged. She eventually returned to work for IMLAP again, but this time in the role of staff attorney. Stacey was very passionate about advocating for the disadvantaged and marginalized in society. Because she was a fluent Spanish speaker, her position as staff attorney at IMLAP advocating for the rights of migrant farm workers was a perfect fit for her.
After a life-changing diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 1999, Stacey’s path changed significantly. She left her job at the Migrant Legal Assistance Project and accepted a position as a corporate immigration attorney with the Chicago law firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy; where she worked until 2003.
In 2003, following her heart, she made a bold decision to leave behind her life as a corporate lawyer in Chicago, and instead, forged a new path for herself in Tucson, Ariz., where she moved in spring 2004. Arizona was a new beginning for Stacey and along with that brave move came many new life adventures, new job opportunities, and most importantly a new love, Don Badger. Stacey and Don, both practicing Buddhists, met at a local Buddhist meeting in Tucson in 2004. Soon after, they started dating, fell in love, and were later married on Feb. 26, 2006. Don was the love of Stacey’s life and the two lived happily together in Scottsdale, Ariz., until Don’s untimely death in January 2009.
Stacey continued to live in the Scottsdale area for several years after Don’s passing. Unfortunately, during that time, her MS progressed significantly, making everyday life more difficult for her to navigate alone. In 2014, she was introduced to Scott Belmont by a mutual friend from the Buddhist community in Scottsdale. The two hit it off instantly and quickly became a couple. In April of 2015, Stacey and Scott moved to Salem, Oregon, to escape the Arizona heat, where they continued to live together until Stacey’s recent hospitalization and subsequent passing.
Stacey was very much a citizen of the world and had many different interests and passions. She loved music of all kinds and had an extensive collection. Not only did she love listening to great music, Stacey also loved to sing. In high school she sang in the Pop Singers, Acapella Choir and performed in several musicals. She also loved to travel and made several trips to Mexico over the years, even attending the university in Jalapa, Veracruz, one summer. She visited Cuba, Guatemala, Brazil and on more than one occasion, Peru.
Stacey loved reading and, even more, writing. She was, in fact, an author. She wrote and released her own memoir, "The Invisible Cause," in 2011, which tells the story of her life and particularly recounts her struggles and perseverance after receiving the MS diagnosis in 1999 and the sudden passing of her husband, Don, in 2009.
Stacey Badger was a very spiritual person. She spent her lifetime working on healing and bettering herself in every way possible. She had a ‘never- give-up mentality,' and she practiced it until the end. We admire and miss her greatly.
Stacey is survived by her parents, Leon and Stephanie Schumacher, Hays; her brother, Scott Schumacher, Olathe; her sister, Jacinta (Kendall) McKevery, Olathe; her sister, Nicole (Sheldon) Mabry, Garland, Texas; her nieces, Stephanie Sailes Cervantez, Lewisville, Texas; Jourdan McKevery, Overland Park; Kierra McKevery Herdrich, Olathe; Regan Schumacher, Tulsa, Okla.; her nephew, Riley Schumacher, Lincoln, Neb.; her partner, Scott Belmont, Salem, Oregon; and many other family members and friends.
An inurnment will take place at 1:00, Saturday, June 24th, at the Saint Francis Cemetery in Munjor, Kansas, to be followed by a celebration of Stacey’s life at 2:00 at the V.F.W. in Hays, Kansas. All family and friends are welcome.
In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please consider donating to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Stacey’s honor. A memorial fund page has been created for her and the link is below. Thank you.
https://mssociety.donordrive.com/campaign/Stacey-Schumacher-Badger
Taken from the lyrics of one of Stacey’s favorite songs:
‘Everything Must Change’ by Oleta Adams
Everything must change,
nothing stays the same.
Everyone will change,
nothing and no one goes
unchanged.
The young become the old,
mysteries do unfold.
Cause that's the way of time.
There aren't many things in life
you can be sure of, except ...
Rain comes from the clouds,
Sun lights up the sky, and
Hummingbirds Do Fly.