Maricia Ann Stafford, 70, of Mulberry passed away May 2 at Freeman West Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri after a short battle with cancer.
She was born in Coffeyville, Kansas on March 1, 1955, to Donald and Mary Houghton. In 1956, they moved to Mulberry, Kansas where she attended Mulberry schools. She attended Northeast High School and graduated in 1973. After high school, she worked for a short period of time before she joined the military and was stationed in Germany until she was honorably discharged.
She met her loving husband, David Stafford, in Germany and they were married in 1977. After their time in the military, they lived in Louisiana where they had two children, Donnie and Kasey. They traveled all over the United States as a family and continued to travel with their grandson; many summers spending time in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Maricia was largely a stay-at-home mom until they moved to Pennsylvania where she worked part-time at the local YMCA childcare center. In 1993 they moved to Kansas to be closer to family, and she joined USD 250 where she held multiple roles. She also worked as a secretary at TLC for many years. After 30 years with the district, she retired in 2023 but returned part time in 2024. She was passionate about saving animals and loved to research things from the best activities to do on vacation to the best places to eat. One of Maricia’s favorite roles was being a grandparent, always spoiling her grandchildren for birthdays and holidays. She also loved her dogs deeply, treating them like family members.
She is preceded in death by her son, Donnie, and her parents Don and Mary. She is survived by her husband David Stafford of the home, daughter Kasey Zimmerman (James) of Pittsburg, grandchildren Tayten Kelsey, Brittany Magee (Matt), Paige Williamson (Troy), James Zimmerman Jr. (Daytona) and Beau Zimmerman (Brianna); great grandchildren Asher, Kash, Luke, Jackson, Henley and Demi. She is also survived by sisters Kim Waggener (Jerry) of Weir, Dana Shaffer (Bill) of Mulberry, Pam Houghton of Girard and Kristin Netherton (Jim) of Richards, Missouri. She also leaves behind many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held May 8 at Frisco Event Center, 210 East Fourth Street, Pittsburg, Kansas. Please stop in anytime from 5 to 8 p.m. and get a bite to eat and share your favorite memory of Maricia. Flowers or memorial donations may be sent to her daughters home at 608 Thomas in Pittsburg.
