Staci McNeely

Staci was born July 26, 1980, in Odessa, Texas, to Rosalie “Rosie” McNeely and Kirk McNeely. She attended Lubbock-Cooper High School and graduated with the Class of 1999.

Staci spent many years working at one of her favorite places, Taco Villa, where she worked for approximately 10 years and perfected the very important art of ordering her Taco Burger with no lettuce and no tomato. She later worked for Wells Fargo as a call center representative and eventually became a teller.

Though famously small in stature, Staci should never have been underestimated. On August 9, 2014, she earned her black belt in Jiu Jitsu, officially establishing herself as an unsuspecting but potentially deadly threat. Her driver's license may or may not have required the assistance of a pillow so she could see over the steering wheel; either way, the good people of Lubbock were safer for it.

Staci had many great loves in her life. First and foremost were her “fur babies,” GiGi, Momoa, and Poppie, whom she loved completely and unapologetically. She had always dreamed of becoming a mother, and while life did not give her children in the traditional sense, anyone who saw her with her dogs knew that she had plenty of mothering to give.

Music was another lifelong love. Staci was a devoted fan of Reba McEntire, as well as the boy bands that defined an era: New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees. In fact, her musical career began at a very young age when she served as Reba McEntire’s completely unauthorized backup singer from the backseat of the family car.

Family lore also maintains that Staci later enjoyed a brief and highly successful career as a backup performer for several of her favorite boy bands at Lubbock’s then-United Spirit Arena. The bands themselves have yet to confirm this, but Staci would have had no difficulty providing the choreography.

She was also an enthusiastic fan of movies, television, superheroes, Comic Con, and celebrities she loved. Some of her favorite memories were meeting Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery at Comic Con. She was also a devoted Patrick Mahomes fan and had a particular appreciation for Jason Momoa.

Staci is survived by her parents, Rosie McNeely and Kirk McNeely; her siblings, Hailie Wolfe and Vincent McNeely; and her nieces and nephews, Makennah Engle, Colton Engle, Conner Wolfe, Hudson Wolfe, and Taylor Wolfe.

She is also survived by an abundance of aunts, uncles, and cousins who loved her dearly, especially her cousins Nikki Hudnall and Dustin McNeely, who were her very first best friends.

She is additionally survived—in spirit, and almost certainly against the advice of their publicists—by Patrick Mahomes, Jason Momoa, Reba McEntire, the Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees, all of whom will undoubtedly struggle to carry on without their most enthusiastic supporter.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents Bertha Faye and Raymond White; grandparents Morris and Juanelle Bingham; cousin Jon Marc Hudnall; and her beloved fur babies Tiny and Jasper.

Staci will be remembered for being completely and unmistakably herself: funny, stubborn, enthusiastic, fiercely devoted to the people and things she loved, and capable of finding enormous joy in the things that mattered to her. She loved loudly—whether it was her dogs, Reba, a boy band, Patrick Mahomes, Jason Momoa, or a Taco Burger prepared exactly the right way.

She may have been our big sister, but she was also forever our big “little” sister.

And wherever she is now, we hope Reba is singing, the boy bands are harmonizing, Patrick Mahomes is throwing touchdowns, Jason Momoa has stopped by to say hello, and every Taco Burger arrives with absolutely no lettuce and no tomato.

She was deeply loved, and she will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made in Staci’s honor to the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by Turner syndrome and advancing education and research. Donations may be made through the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States at **turnersyndrome.org**.