Stacy S. Baugh, 55, died peacefully at home in Frankfort on Wednesday, January 8, with her loving family by her side. She was born in Jasper, Indiana, on May 17, 1958, to Norman and Priscilla (Brown) Fromme. Stacy married her college sweetheart Jerry Wayne Baugh on August 13, 1983, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. The Baughs raised their three children in Frankfort and celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary over the summer.
She graduated from Jasper High School in Jasper, Indiana, in 1976 and began her formal education at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She earned a B.S. in Special Education from Ball State in 1982, an M.A. in Special Education from Ball State in 1984, and in 1999 added a Secondary Science Certification for grades 5-12 from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
Mrs. Baugh was a lifelong teacher, mentor, conservationist, volunteer and inspirational community leader. She initially applied her undergraduate special education degree by teaching at West Middle School in Martinsville, Indiana, and as a graduate student at Ball State she taught at a preschool for hearing-impaired students. In 1984 she began her rewarding teaching career in the Frankfort Community School System as a Special Education Teacher at Frankfort Middle School. Fueled by her passion for ecology, in 1998 she earned a Secondary Science Certification at Purdue University, while simultaneously serving as a Teaching Assistant in Purdue University’s Department of Education. In 1999, she joined the Frankfort Senior High School teaching staff and taught Biology, Zoology, Oceanography, Astronomy, and Anatomy. Through the current school year, Mrs. Baugh also served as the Head of the Frankfort Senior High School Science Department and on the FHS Leadership Team/NCA School Improvement Team.
Her passion for the outdoors, for science and for monarch butterflies resulted in Mrs. Baugh establishing and participating in many projects and programs for local youth, the environment and her community. She found joy in learning and in supporting the development of her students, fellow teachers, friends and family members, and described teaching as her passion and her hobby. She was awarded two Lilly Teacher Fellowship Grant to study the rainforest of the Great Barrier Reef of Belize, Central America and Monarch Butterflies in Mexico; she earned a DNR Master Naturalist Certification; she established and participated in Wings Without Borders, Build A Pond Day, FrogQuest, Adopt-A-River, the FHS Native Wildlife Prairie, Hoosier Riverwatch, the Midwest Landfill Grant, the Wildcat Creek Watershed Advisory Committee, and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science; she was an instructor at Purdue University’s Summer Biology Experience for High School Students and served on the Teacher Advisory Board for Purdue University Department of Entomology, and the Purdue Extension Board of Directors.
Her selfless contributions to environmental and educational expertise and excellence were recognized when she was named Hoosier Conservation Teacher of the Year, Clinton County Environmental Teacher of the Year, Frankfort Community Schools Teacher of the Year, and International Monarch Symposium Representative. In 2009, she was one of ten statewide finalists for the prestigious Indiana Teacher of the Year.
Stacy was a loyal and active fan of her children as they participated in school activities such as swimming and cross country and was a loving and supportive mother, in all aspects of her three children’s lives. She was a member of St. Mary’s Church, Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Frankfort Education Association, Indiana State Teachers Association, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, and the Mommy and Me Program. She is a past member and past-President of Tri Kappa, and Business and Professional Women.

Visitation and Services

A Rosary Service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, January 12, 2014 with visitation following from 5 to 9 p.m. at Goodwin Funeral Home in Frankfort. The Mass of Christian burial will be held on Monday, January 13, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Frankfort. The family is establishing a Legacy Scholarship in memory of Stacy to be given to an outstanding high school graduate who is pursuing a degree in science. Tax-exempt donations may be made to the Stacy Baugh Legacy Scholarship c/o Frankfort Education Foundation, 2400 E. Wabash St., Frankfort, IN 46041. Envelopes will be available at the Goodwin Funeral Home.

Survived by:

She is survived by husband Jerry; one daughter Brittany (Husband-Trey) Chelf of St. Augustine, Florida; two sons, Joshua Baugh of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Benjamin Baugh of West Lafayette, Indiana; her mother Priscilla Fromme of Union, Kentucky; a sister Tammy (Husband-Kelley) Kelly of Fort Wayne; three brothers; Dr. Kurt (Wife-Carolyn) Fromme, DVM of Union, Kentucky; Guy (Wife-Michelle) Fromme of Louisville, Colorado & Don (Wife-Pam) Fromme of Eden Prairie, Minnesota along with numerous nephews and nieces.

Preceded by:

Her father Norman Fromme preceded her in death in 1997.