Stacy Leigh Kraft

STACY LEIGH KRAFT, age 36 of Nashville passed away May 18, 2011. Her fifteen year battle with a brain tumor came to a peaceful end. She was preceded in death by grandparents Ralph & Pauline Kornman, and Reba Kraft. Survived by mother, Terry Kornman; father & step-mother, Keith and Meryl Kraft; sister Jodi (Mark) Hill; niece, Kasey Hill; grandfather, Morris Kraft; aunts, uncles, cousins, and wonderful friends. Stacy attended University School of Nashville and Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet School where she graduated as a Distinguished Scholar and a member of the National Honor Society. Stacy attended the Governor’s School for the Arts and won numerous awards and scholarships for art and academic accomplishments. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and earned an undergraduate degree in Architecture. She became the seventeenth candidate to complete the concurrent dual Master’s Degree program in Architecture and Social Work. Her proficiency for design and strong advocacy for animal rights and the environment inspired her work to better the lives of all persons. She championed many causes for the poor with whom she chose to live in order to understand their plight. Stacy was the founder of Colibri Urban Housing Cooperative in St. Louis, a collective that cultivated a cohesive community of like-minded individuals who subscribed to a belief in personal development and social accountability. She believed in diversity, direct communication, respecting boundaries, playing and creating together – a free spirit who respected consensus, but was unafraid to challenge traditional hierarchies. She never sought the material things in life; she wanted to help change the world to be a better place. Her love of music, animals and people, keen wit, and sense of compassion made her loved and admired by all. She touched many lives and was truly a shining star. As well, as an organ donor her commitment to the betterment of humankind will continue in the survival of others. We are grateful to her loving caregivers Jennifer Cihi, Robin Battle, Sharonda Cannon, and Linda Webb as well as the many doctors in Nashville, St. Louis and M.D. Anderson Medical Center for the years of love and care they gave to Stacy. In Honor of her memory donations can be made to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine, 171 Pier Ave, #453, Santa Monica, CA 90405; Greenpeace, 702 H Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001; or the following brain tumor research funds: Musella Foundation, Oligodendroglioma Fund, 1100 Peninsula Blvd, Hewlett, NY 11557; The National Brain Tumor Association, East Coast Office, 124 Watertown St, Ste 2D, Watertown, MA 02472. Graveside service is May 20, 2011 at 11:00 a.m., Temple Cemetery. Arrangements under the direction of Marshall Donnelly Combs Funeral Home, Nashville, Tennessee.