Kelli (Daughter):

It’s strage to call someone by their first name when you’ve called them mom your whole life. I imagine that as strong as my instict is to keep calling her mom, the impulse to want to keep sending her pictures and updates of special moments will live on as well. Her greatest joy was spending time with her loved ones and making sure everyone felt special and had fun.  I’ve decorated the house for Christmas extra hard this year in Tracy’s honor because she always loved doing that with us when we were kids. She made the holiday season feel alive and magical. She made every season feel that way. Tracy was a phenomenal person. 

Something I didn’t expect to happen when I connected with all our family and friends recently, was all the new things I got to learn about Tracy. I got to hear some of the funniest moments about my mom’s great personality. As her daughter, I got to see the loving mother she was; staying up late to help with homework after a long day at work, planning parties and events for every occasion, driving me to all my practices and social events, and holding me when I cried. Never once did she ever respond to me with anything but love and warmth. 

One of her best friends, Julie, told me that Tracy spent all her weekends cleaning, in almost an over-the-top kind of way. That was an instant connection I made with my mom that I had no idea I had because I too love to spend my weekends cleaning and organizing, and I have run my own housekeeping business for most of my adult life. A simple thing from my childhood that I loved is that every Saturday morning I would wake up and come upstairs to see her folding laundry in the living room while watching TV, and she’d be so excited to see me and give me a great big hug. Another is she took me antique shopping when I was about 12. We went to McDonalds for lunch afterwards, and we sat in the car and ate, and she taught me the trick of grabbing a few fries and placing them in front of the blowing air conditioner vent to quickly cool them off. It’s in the little moments like these that I’ve learned matter the most.  

I remember when she had her accident back in 2007, she didn’t wake up for a long time, and I listened to this one voicemail she left me on my flip phone over and over again. I was just starting high school and nervous about some of the first rehearsals of marching band. Before practice, I listened to that voicemail over and over for courage and comfort. She was the reason I even started playing the flute and joined marching band. Because of her I have some of the greatest memories of my life playing in that band and making those friends. And after her recovery, I was able to gather 18 more years worth of voicemails from her that I continue to cherish now. Now as a mom to two stepchildren, I know just how much she really did go above and beyond for me as a kid. She was the perfect mother, and on top of that the most fun, brightest person in the room always.

Vicki (Best Friend):

Tracy and I have been friends nearly 40 years. Our friendship  began with Joe (Tracy’s 2nd husband), and I worked together, and Joe invited me to come boating with them. When Tracy and I discovered we were both from Iowa, there was an instant connection. She was lively and fun, and I immediately was drawn to her. 

She liked to bowl (and she was pretty darned good at it), and asked me to join her team on Thursday nights at Seneca Bowl. We had some crazy, memorable times!! She was there when I met by husband, Kyle, after bowling one night. 

We both married our “loves” and bought our houses a mile from each other. We had our babies together too. Our jobs were across the alleyway in downtown Wichita, so we would walk side by side during lunch hour, hoping to keep our weight gain from skyrocketing. Our daughters were born 9 days apart and we shared the ups and downs of newborn life. I babysat Kelli until she started kindergarden so Tracy and I had daily interaction. 

Tracy loved to entertain. Most New Year’s Eve, we were at her house, celebrating. I remember one New Years when Cindy & Mike were visiting and we were shooting off fireworks when the neighbor showed up at the door complaining! Seems as though we woke up their newborn with our celebrating. We were very apologetic to the neighbor, but burst into laughter when he left.

Tracy was a good mom to Damian and Kelli. She was always concerned about “Angel Bunny,” as Damian was affectionately called by his mother, and when my daughter, Jacie, found out about his name, she teased him relentelessly. Jacie was instructed in no uncertain terms to not tell anyone about his Mom’s name for him.

Tracy struggled when her marriage to Joe ended but the Lord had someone for her. I had never seen her so happy. She and Tom were married in their back yard, and Kyle and I got the privilege of standing up with them.

Tracy’s job at FMI was very taxing and time consuming, but when her heart stopped one night after work, we all found out how much Tom’s importance in her life really was. Her healing journey was slow, and I spent many nights at the hospital with her. Cindy came from Iowa, and it was good to be with her again. I could understand Tracy’s affection for her sister. Tarcy never returned to work.

Tracy never lost her orneriness. Dale and Jan, Tom and Tracy, and Kyle and I went out to eat one Saturday night at Abuello’s West. Tracy kept messing up Jan’s hair and it was getting on Jan’s nerves. Tracy just couldn’t help herself or quit even though Jan told her to stop many times. Tracy then stood up and did something that shocked us all. I will leave it up to your imagination as to what it was but we had several laughts remembering that in subsequent years.

Tracy and Tom moved to Florida, but we remained in touch with phone calls and texts on our birthdays and Chrismtas, or when one of us had a new grandbaby. We were priveleged to host them a few different times when they came back to Kansas. The most recent was for Tracy’s mother-in-laws’ funeral (Wilma Jackson). Tracy was quick to say how much she loved Wilma and already missed her.

Tracy would tell us numerous times how much she loved us and how much she and Tom appreciated us allowing them to stay at our home. It was always fun when they were here. Although I will miss her, I’m thankful that I got to spend Tracy’s last days with her. She forever lives on in our hearts!