Stephanie Anne French

Stacy was born on May 19, 1950, to Harvey and Audrae Thibodeau in Detroit, Michigan. She was the third of 12 children and their oldest daughter. After graduating from Mercy High School in 1968, she studied at Oakland College and Detroit Society of Arts & Crafts (now known as College for Creative Studies) before continuing to develop her talents independently. Soon after, she began her career in advertising at Campbell Ewald and later as an art rep for McNamara Studios.

In 1980, while living in Troy, Michigan, Stacy met a southern gentleman at a Jazz club, and, less than two years later, she married Ted French Jr. on September 5th, 1981. Stacy and Ted went on to have two children, Ashley Elizabeth and Theodore Roberts French, III. Her husband’s career moved their family to many cities, including Cleveland, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; Milwaukee, WI; Lake Forest, IL; Birmingham, MI; until they finally settled in Atlanta, GA.

Stacy’s talent and creativity most clearly came to life in her work as an independent folk artist. She dabbled in nearly every media including painting, pastels, needlepoint, cut paper and doll making, but her favorite medias were papier-mâché and paper clay. She traveled to the West Coast to participate in folk art shows, where she was best known for the imaginative characters that she hand-molded, painted and sold under her brand name, American Whimsies. Her work was featured in museums, sold by retailers and galleries, and published in industry magazines, including Art Doll Quarterly.

Stacy approached all her many hobbies with the same creativity, curiosity and passion. She was incredibly well-read on many topics and actively pursued many unique interests—from maintaining extensive fruit and vegetables gardens to bringing beauty to meals using edible flowers to applying the Japanese craft of Sashiko to add interest to her own wardrobe. Her passion for history took physical form in the home she designed in concert with architect D. Stanley Dixon, which won a coveted Shutze Award for its classical architectural style.

Her practiced culinary skills were a match for any five-star chef, and she loved to experiment with new recipes as much as she enjoyed dining in fine restaurants. She leveraged her vast knowledge of ingredients, cooking techniques, and tools and combined them with her love for serving her family and friends to create many memorable dishes. Most recently she had perfected homemade labneh.

When it came to fashion, Stacy could spot the “next big thing” an entire season ahead of designers. She could go from classic, to chic, to just plain comfy, but almost always added an unexpected pop of color or a sparkly accessory that elevated her look in a way that was uniquely “Stacy”. Her style often reflected her sense of humor—she was quick-witted and had a mastery of language. Not many would end up on the winning end when she had a point to make.

Stacy loved the holidays and was known to extensively decorate her house and her table for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween and Christmas—which was undeniably her favorite. Each year, twenty-three intricately decorated trees of all sizes and themes (many of which were adorned entirely with ornaments she made herself) were showcased throughout her home with a remarkable attention to detail.

She loved her dogs, Trouble and Cat, nearly as much as they loved her, but, most of all, she loved her husband and her children. She and Ted lovingly led by example. She taught her children to be independent, while staying close to them. She taught them how to love and how to be loved, how to believe in themselves but trust others, and to always remember that God loved them. They traveled together as a family each year and took numerous epic trips that were as adventurous as they were educational, but home is where Stacy’s heart was.

Stacy leaves a void no one can ever fill and will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched.

Stacy was preceded in death by her mother, Audrae; her brothers, Keith (Rosemary) and Bill; and her nephew, Joseph. She is survived by her husband, Ted; daughter, Ashley (Mike); and son, Ted III (Flavia); her father, Harvey; siblings Robert, Karen, Marc, Dennis, Barbara (Larry), John, Nancy (Robert), Jody (Tim) and Janet (Kevin); her mother-in-law, Helen and siblings-in-law, Ed (Tracey), Helen (Bruce), Adele (Gordy) and Wes (Anne); and 43 nieces and nephews to whom she was Godmother to many.

Her memory will live on in all our hearts forever.