Mary Stacey was a longtime Ladue resident, artist, conservationist and member of the Ladue Garden Club. As a gardener and artist, she grew and painted beautiful flowers. She led the early charge to get rid of bush honeysuckle, illustrating a guide of plants that can replace invasive species. She also wrote and illustrated a pamphlet on trees for third graders. As a member of the Ladue Garden Club, she received many awards.
Her husband, Larry Stacey, gave a generous donation in her memory to the garden club, which decided to use the funds to provide a grant to the city of Ladue. This grant will underwrite the city’s purchase of software and the hiring of appropriate staff to conduct a tree inventory.
The purpose of the tree inventory is to identify tree species, Century Trees and State Champion Trees and to determine the health and overall condition of the trees on public land in Ladue. This information will help develop and define a maintenance plan for existing trees and a long-range plan for future plantings. The name of this endeavor is the Mary Stacey Memorial Tree Project and it is a fitting and greatly deserved tribute to her.