On Friday, Feb. 7, Stephanie Key, 38, passed away unexpectedly. She worked for Pender County Tourism as a “tourism assistant.” Her title should have been “creative workhorse.”

The first time I met Stephanie; she worked for Onslow Tourism. I worked for the Chamber and was dragged into a workshop on software that was supposed to put all of us on the same calendar. Stephanie spent a good hour training us. She walked over and asked if I had any questions. I smirked and asked, “You don’t think I’m really going to use this, do you?” We both burst out laughing.

That was the first of our many laughter sessions. Little did we know that two years later we would work together for Pender County Tourism.

The Stephanie I hired was quiet and liked working behind the scenes. She was interested in photography and a tourism office needs a gallery of photos. She took photography classes, and a new talent was born.

With camera in hand, we started Backyard Adventures, visiting attractions and destinations within Pender County. Stephanie looked forward to our Friday adventures and she scouted the places we needed to explore. We cruised up the Black River with Captain Bob, explored Henderson Field, walked through the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, documented turtle releases, and discovered Rosenwald Schools.

Stephanie had a beautiful singing voice. She sang the National Anthem at Legion Field’s Sharks baseball game. She sang for county events, such as the annual Christmas party and Christmas tree lightings.

Working in the historic jail, we discussed the noises we would hear. Visitors to the tourism office would often ask us if the jail was haunted. “We need a ghost walk,” I said to Stephanie, and she was all in. I envisioned tour guides leading groups around the courthouse square at night. Stephanie, whose college degree was in music management with interests in theatre, suggested, “Well, what if we did this…”

I remember after the first Ghost Walk and the last tour had left, Stephanie and I sat shoulder to shoulder on the steps of the old jail, listening to the sounds around the courthouse. It was a perfect autumn night. The air was filled with laughter and the voices of actors telling ghost stories of Pender’s past. I looked at Stephanie and said, “Hear that? That’s the sound of success.” But her mind was already whirling with ideas to enhance next year’s Ghost Walk.

Ghost Walk became Stephanie’s baby. She expanded it. Her creativity made Ghost Walk more diverse and imaginative than I ever dreamed. She saw Ghost Walk as a vehicle to bring every corner of the county together on a project that spotlighted Pender County. Her Ghost Walk won two national awards.

That quiet behind-the-scenes girl who was hired as a “tourism assistant” didn’t flinch when she had to give on-air television interviews. She became the “art director” for the Ghost Walk.

While setting up Ghost Walk one year later, Stephanie was hit by a vehicle and ran over. She said she remembered the tires passing close to her head. She sustained massive internal injuries. She spent days in ICU at New Hanover Hospital. It was touch and go for a few days.

The doctors spoke in low, cautious tones, but I remember walking into her ICU room, and she had a NASCAR race on the television. Stephanie loved NASCAR and her favorite driver was Kyle Busch.

“You aren’t going to watch that punk driver, are you?” I asked her,

Stephanie growled at me. That’s when I knew she was going to recover.

And she recovered because she fought back through pain. She used a cane for a time, but she still came to work. I admired her resilience, her grit.

We worked together in the tourism office for 10 years. We endured accidents, floods, hurricanes, and COVID. We laughed. We cried.

Stephanie worked through it all. She never stopped thinking of projects we could do or improve. With her love of movies and history, she worked tirelessly on the Hometown Hollywood walking tour and the Pender County African American Heritage Trail.

One day, Stephanie burst into my office and announced, “Tourism needs to buy a Mrs. Claus outfit.”

Immediately, I wondered how I could justify to five county commissioners why we bought a Mrs. Claus wardrobe. I asked Stephanie what we were going to do with a Mrs. Claus outfit. She had a plan. In tourism’s efforts to remind people that it mattered where they shopped, Mrs. Claus, aka Stephanie, would visit our local stores. Her idea was fabulous, and we filmed hours of video as Mrs. Claus shopped for elves and that “hard to buy for” man. Again, Stephanie brought attention to others with her creativity.

Stephanie was on a mission to get recognition for the county’s festivals. She worked hours on completing nominations every year on behalf of Ocean Fest and many others. Through her tireless diligence, her work brought national and state awards to our festivals. She took no credit.

Stephanie once said to me, “I’m invisible” She felt overpowered by the personalities of others and was not recognized for her work.

Last year, I nominated her for the Wilma Magazine/Greater Wilmington Business Journal Women to Watch awards and the Wilmington Chamber’s 40 Under 40 Award. In the same year, she won both recognitions. She was elected to the board of North Carolina Coast Host, an organization that markets attractions and destinations east of Interstate 95.

I wish Stephanie were here now, so I could tell her about the numerous telephone calls, the emails, and the tears that have been shed because she is gone. She was not invisible. We would tell her how many lives she touched through her humor, her projects, her enthusiasm, and her sweet, kind spirit.

Stephanie Key left us Friday. She has left a gaping hole in the fabric of Pender County. She will be missed by all who worked with her.

By Tammy Proctor, written for the Pender Post-Voice, Feb. 8, 2025