Roy H. Stacey

Roy H. Stacey, 64, of Rockland, passed away on September 5th, 2016 in Beloit, Wis. Roy was born on November 28th, 1951 in Elkhorn, Wis., to Seth B. Stacey and Mary D. (Drabek) Stacey of Williams Bay, Wis. He attended Williams Bay schools and graduated with the Class of 1969. Shortly thereafter, while attending Kenosha Technical Institute, he first met his future wife, Janet M. Thompson of Delavan. Roy and Janet were married on July 6th, 1974, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Delavan, Wis. They moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where Roy worked for Western Weighing and Inspection Bureau as a Travel Agent/Auditor. Roy and Janet were blessed with the birth of their son, Paul B. Stacey in May of 1975.

Roy worked for Western Weighing and Inspection Bureau in various locations until 1987, when through the advice of a friend and colleague applied for a position with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as a Safety Investigator, and the family moved to Buffalo, NY as his first duty station in 1987. In 1989, the family moved to Madison, Wis., in order to be closer to Janet’s parents. While living in Madison, Roy suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that greatly affected the right side of his body. Through a lot of determination and physical therapy, Roy was back to work in three months. Roy and Janet moved to Rockland, Wis. in 1997, when an opportunity arose to work from home became available. In 2010, he developed a rare blood disorder where his blood would not clot. After several months of treatment, Roy returned to work. They remained in Rockland for the remainder of his tenure with FMCSA. Roy retired from government service in December 2011, where he enjoyed a 25-year career.

Roy had a friendly outgoing personality, and was known for showing up unexpectedly at someone’s door throughout his travels or calling them out of the blue to stay in touch. During his life on earth, Roy could talk to anyone and made many lasting friendships through school, work, and his hobbies. He bought his first record at the age of 5, and that love of music followed him throughout his life. His jukebox and record collection followed the family through many (7) moves from Green Bay, Wis.; Neenah, Wis.; Monroe, Mich.; Buffalo, NY; Madison, Wis.; McFarland, Wis.; and finally to Rockland. Roy’s favorite record buddy in Madison would pick him up at the house after he suffered his stroke to make sure he would make it to their favorite record haunt, where he would spend many hours listening to tunes and talking with fellow record collectors. After his retirement, Roy really got to know the local people, where more than one person told him that he should have moved to Rockland years ago. Roy was loved by many and will be greatly missed by all.

Roy is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Janet; his son, Paul; Janet’s sister, Marilyn, and her husband, Dennis Engler of Portage, Mich.; nephew, Brandon Engler and family of Novi, Mich.; niece, Kristen Engler and family of Northville, Mich.; and cousins, Frank Drabek of Loves Park, Ill., Nancy Smith of Lutz, Fla., Jane Greenman, Jackie Blackport, and Mike Stacey of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Barb Smith of Dorr, Mich.., along with other relatives and many friends. Roy was preceded in death by his mother, Mary; his father, Seth; his grandparents; his mother-in-law, Bernice; and his father-in-law, Herman.

Memorial services will be held at 12:00 p.m., Saturday, September 17th, at the Rockland United Methodist Church, 106 East Main St., Rockland, Wis. 54653. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service on Saturday at the church. A reception and light luncheon will take place following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Rockland United Methodist Church.