Stacy Holland passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 4, 2026, after recent health challenges. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and a familiar, positive presence in the Frankfort and Lincoln-Way communities.
Born Kathleen Stacy Boynton on February 18, 1949, in Bellingham, Washington, Stacy built a life centered on service, connection, and curiosity.
She graduated from Bellingham High in 1967 where she was a cheerleader. She received her Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Washington, where she met and married her husband, Jim, and where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in School Administration from Lewis University.
She dedicated her career to strengthening communities—whether as a reporter for the Daily Southtown newspaper, a school board member for the Placentia Yorba Linda School District in Orange County, California, where she was instrumental in creating and implementing a program that increased third grade reading scores, or during her 23 years as Director of Community Relations for Lincoln-Way High School District 210.
She had a gift for bringing people together and getting things done. Stacy helped launch the Lincoln-Way Foundation for Educational Excellence, opening doors for students and teachers through millions of dollars in support. She created programs that welcomed the community into schools and made sure people felt informed, included, and connected. She also played a key role in community efforts and local campaigns, always working behind the scenes with insight, strategy, and heart.
Beyond her work, Stacy was deeply involved in organizations like the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, the Suburban Service League, the Silver Cross Hospital Foundation and the New Lenox Rotary Club, living out the idea of “Service Above Self.”
Always politically active, as President of the Fremont, California League of Women Voters, Stacy worked to pass legislation to preserve open space on the Southeast side of the San Francisco Bay, preserving the area’s natural beauty and creating hiking trails. When her husband, Jim, entered politics in Frankfort, Il, Stacy was the political powerhouse, the strategic brains and driving force behind her husband’s successful campaigns for Trustee and Mayor of Frankfort.
In her “free time,” Stacy was an accomplished skier and enjoyed boating with her husband, spending a year on their boat, Harmony, navigating the “Great Loop,” a 6,000 mile continuous waterway that circumnavigates the eastern part of the United States and part of Canada.
But more than anything, Stacy will be remembered for who she was every day—positive, cheerful, and endlessly curious. She loved to travel, to learn, and to spend time with her family and friends. She had a way of making people feel welcome, listened to, and valued.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Jim Holland; her sons, Benjamin Holland (Beverly) and David Holland (Nancy); her grandson, Nikolai; and her brother, David Boynton (Jennifer). She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Michaela Boynton.
Stacy’s life made a lasting difference in the lives of many. She will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.