Sue Wilson Stafford, Frisco ISD school namesake and beloved educator who retired this month after 48 years of teaching, 38 of those in Frisco ISD, passed away May 24, 2017 at her home in Frisco.

Her health was failing when she retired but still her death was a shock to all who knew her.

Stafford was born in Madill, Oklahoma, on April 4, 1946 to Otis and Evelyn Wilson.  She graduated from Madill High and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She began teaching in 1969 in Oklahoma and moved to Frisco ISD in 1979.  She was a member of the Collinsville Church of Christ.

She has taught at the elementary, middle school and high school levels and served as the District's Migrant Education Coordinator from 1983-1994.  At the time of her retirement, she was teaching students at the alternative program for middle school students at the Student Opportunity Center and for many years had also taught English as a Second Language and GED preparation classes to adults in the evenings.  Her work with students always extended outside of the classroom and she worked countless hours for Frisco's youth over the years.

People in need of food or clothing always knew they could go to Ms. Stafford for advice and help. Those who wanted to give to others also knew that they could count on Ms. Stafford to pass on their extra food, beds, clothes, or shoes to a child or family in need – no questions asked, no names revealed.

She served on the Frisco Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and the YMCA Board of Directors and she and long-time civil servant Gary Burns founded the Frisco Children's Fund to assist Frisco families in need for over 20 years. A scholarship fund in her honor through the Frisco Education Foundation provides college money for FISD seniors. Sue's commitment to others garnered her Frisco Chamber of Commerce Golden Eagle Award (1990) and the Citizen of the Year Award (1998). She was also a lifetime member of the PTA.

Stafford was honored in October of 2015 during homecoming at her alma mater, Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma. Stafford was selected as a Distinguished Alumni for her contributions in education.

She is survived by her daughter Kari Bailey and husband, Brian;  her son Brooke Stafford and his wife Melisha;  the joys of life, her grandchildren, Joey and J Bailey and Wilson and Grant Stafford. She is also survived by her nephew, Rob Johnson and his family, her niece, Kasey Major and her family, a brother, Gerald Cole, and many beloved cousins. Her legacy also continues through the successes of young people she helped mentor, none closer to her heart than Lupe, Javier, and Gerardo Gaona, who she considered her "borrowed boys".

She is preceded in death by her parents and her younger sister, Ann Johnson.

Ms. Stafford had a true passion for education and passed this love on to her own children, her nephew, niece, Javier, and Gerardo who are all currently educators as well as the countless number of former students who are in education. Her desire to build up students and the example she provided for nearly half a century in the classroom inspired many to pursue a career in education. Ms. Stafford had a special skill for working with at risk students and often spent extra time working and encouraging them.

For years, people in the know in Frisco have been aware that Stafford's home garage was a place to leave donations and a place to drop by and pick up a pair of jeans or some children's clothing if needed.  It was all done on the honor system. It worked because people loved Ms. Stafford.

Her legacy lives on – in every person she touched in life and in the students who pass through Sue Wilson Stafford Middle School. A long time colleague and friend, Doug Zambiasi, told close friends that if Sue Stafford didn't get into heaven, "the rest of us don't stand a chance."