Stacey Mitchell Roman

He was born on June 4, 1956 in The Bronx, New York, to Herb and Diane Roman. From the very beginning he was surrounded by family, as his grandparents lived nearby. Stacey and his family moved from The Bronx to Spring Valley, NY when he was nine years old. They lived there for ~25 years.

Stacey attended PS 86 in the Bronx and then finished elementary, junior high and high school in Spring Valley. During high school, Stacey showed his respect for those who served in the military by wearing bracelets for POWs and MIAs. The highlight of his school-age years was attending summer camp. He kept in contact with his friends from Trojan Lake Lodge, Silver Lake and Brandywine - where he was also a counselor. He enjoyed huge Passovers with the HRM Cousins Club.

Stacey went to Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, before returning to New York to work for his father (Herbert Roman Fine Arts) in Manhattan. He then worked for a good friend at JN Bartfield Galleries. Finally, he packed up and headed west to California in 1984. He joined Butterfields Auction House (which is now Bonham’s), first in San Francisco, and then in Los Angeles as both an appraiser and an auctioneer. After a decade, he decided to work for himself, opening Stacey Roman Fine Arts and International Fine Art Appraisers. He enjoyed auctioning and jumped at any chance to do so, whether for a charity event or for Profiles in History (which was even televised for a couple of years).

In early 1994, the Northridge Earthquake shook Los Angeles. It also shook Stacey and made him realize how fragile life was. He decided he wanted to get married; November 1994 was his “blind date month,” and that is where he met Terri on the second-to-last date. They married in June 1996, and welcomed their daughter Emily in May 1998. Marrying into a large family was a panacea for Stacey. He instantly had more siblings and their spouses, nieces and nephews who also had children. Stacey loved each and every one of them; attending their sporting events, entertaining them at family gatherings, and texting or FaceTiming them as they grew up - even across the country. He also kept in close contact with lifelong friends and cousins through Facebook, text, and FaceTime. He was sure to make time for everyone who was important to him.

Emily meant the world to Stacey. He would do anything for her. He flew solo to New York with her and took her to art shows when she was a baby. During Emily’s preschool years, Stacey met some fathers and joined “Indian Princesses” to spend more time with Emily; this included monthly camping trips with the group. They also went to Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day services at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, starting when she was in a stroller throughout high school. Stacey enjoyed announcing at Emily’s swim meets so much that he continued to do so for 10 years after she graduated from high school. Stacey and Terri enjoyed going with Emily to tour colleges in the Midwest, attending a sporting event and a barbecue spot at each stop. Stacey and Emily made a couple of cross-country road trips to Iowa State and later to Bowling Green. They were very close.

Nothing could have prepared Stacey for the joy of becoming a grandfather to Addie in 2023. He absolutely adored her, and felt so blessed that Emily and Addie got to live with him and Terri for the past year and a half. Saturdays were their “Addie and Papa day,” starting with breakfast at the local breakfast joint, followed by a trip to the library and then Costco.

Besides family and friends, Stacey also made time for comic books, baseball cards, music, movies, and was a huge sports fan-especially the Yankees and Mets, always hanging team flags outside above the garage. He had a huge book collection including sports, art, and history (especially wars) and had read every book at least once.

We remember how much love he had and how he made such an effort to keep in contact with all of his family and friends, both near and far. He was genuine, funny, smart and loving. We’ll treasure our memories with Stacey forever.

Stacey is survived by his wife, Terri, daughter, Emily, and granddaughter, Addie. He is also survived by his siblings Mitchell Roman and Elisabeth Roman, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Family and friends are invited to attend Stacey’s celebration of life on November 15, 2026 in Costa Mesa, CA. Please reach out to the family for more details if you would like to attend.

Please consider making a donation in Stacey’s honor to the Wounded Warrior Project, National League of POW/MIA Families, or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.