Perry County remembers John Stacy for years of service and kindness

A celebration of life service in Hazard honored John Stacy, who spent his life helping others and recently served in the Perry County Attorney’s office. He died Tuesday, and his death has left behind a public record of steady service in Hazard and Perry County.

Stacy’s work crossed more than one part of local life. WYMT said he worked in real estate and devoted his time to numerous causes, a combination that made him familiar to people who knew him through both business and community involvement. The same account said Stacy had recently worked in the Perry County Attorney’s office, putting him inside one of the county’s most visible public institutions.

Those who remembered Stacy also pointed to the personal habits that helped define him. He was known for his cooking skills and often shared food with others, details that turned a professional reputation into something more personal in a town where neighbors notice who shows up and who makes time for others. The online celebration of life listing said he spent his life helping others and noted that he had been honored as Hazard’s person of the year.

An obituary for John Walter Stacy listed his birth date as June 19, 1964, and said he died June 30, 2026, in Hazard at age 62. That gives a fuller picture of the life that Hazard gathered to remember: one rooted in work, service and a long list of local connections that reached beyond any single title.

Perry County’s own history helps explain why that kind of remembrance carries weight. The county was founded in 1821, formed from portions of Floyd and Clay counties, and named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the same namesake that Hazard carries. In a place built around that shared identity, Stacy’s service in real estate, county government and community causes now becomes part of the county’s record as well.