Amanda’s Burial Remarks:

Childhood

Traci came into this world premature, which we should have known was a sign of her feisty personality. She was adorable. She had a head of beautiful curls and big brown eyes, but she was a handful! From the beginning, she was feisty and strong-willed which kept my parents on their toes. My son Wyatt has so many similar traits with Traci, so I can relate now as a parent myself. As she grew up, Swimming became a great outlet for Traci’s energy, and by 10, she was a nationally-ranked swimmer and it was her lifelong passion.

Traits

Traci had the biggest heart and the most beautiful smile. Ive always been jealous of her perfect teeth! She was fearless yet sensitive and incredibly compassionate. She had big emotions. She was very strong-willed, independent, and a bit stubborn, but those traits defined Traci. They were part of her DNA. They are all good traits to have as an adult, and they surely helped her deal with life’s challenges. She showed her feistiness and will to fight over the last 90 days.

I will forever remember Traci in her element. From playing school together as children, laughing, joking, dancing, swimming, snorkeling, exchanging recommendations for true crime podcasts and morbid Netflix shows, exchanging recipes, talking about gardening, and she was eager to teach me all about Harry Potter and Pokemon when my boys got into them.

Josh

Can’t talk about Traci without talking about Josh. They have been together for 18 years. They were the perfect match for each other. Josh was her rock. His calm personality perfectly complemented Traci’s. We are forever grateful for the support and partnership that Josh provided to Traci. He became part of our family and we love him like a brother and son.

Examples

I mentioned that Traci had the biggest heart, and I want to share a few examples. Not long ago, she sent my grandpa a large package of Tootsie Rolls (which he loves) out of the blue. She sent my son Wyatt a Pokemon book when she found out he was into Pokemon (which Traci was also very into as a kid). She organized virtual family game nights during COVID, which were a lot of fun. She was my maid of honor in our wedding, and I told her she did not have to do the traditional speech - public speaking wasn’t really her thing. We were all amazed when she delivered a fantastic speech at the reception - it was witty and meaningful. She did an awesome job. Olivia is going to read a very special letter from a long distance friend that Traci had in Nigeria. They met on FB and Traci helped him learn to swim virtually. It’s an amazing story but I’ll let Olivia share it with you. It is a perfect example of her big heart and selfless nature.

Future

Going forward, we are going to intentionally incorporate pieces of Traci’s heart and spirit into our lives. We will channel her incredible strength and feistiness when we need it, and we will slow down and do good things for others. Traci, we will always remember and celebrate your bright smile and kind soul. We love you and we will miss you. 

Read at her burial, written by her favorite, Coach Phil -

“Just keep swimming” What a great phrase to describe Traci and her family.

“DORY: When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do?

MARLIN: I don't want to know what you gotta do.

DORY: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.”

On so many levels, this is Traci. She and her family, just kept swimming. From the first time I met Traci, I knew she was special. She was ALWAYS smiling! Ok, not always. But she was always optimistic. She never thought she could not do something. If you thought she couldn’t, she would show you! I do remember seeing her…. angry. Well, that’s also not really true. It was more like…. intense…. she hated to lose. I have had the great fortune to coach a number of very good swimmers. They all hated to lose! Afterall, this is really what drove them. Traci was not going to lose at ANYTHING, and she didn’t. She was not mean, just competitive.

What was really different about Traci was…. she really was always happy. She would come to practice and be smiling and joyful. Not happy, but joyful. Then after 2-3 hours of non-stop hard swimming, she would get out of the pool, and have this unbelievable smile! There was no one else like Traci! She had such a great light she gave off. And I still see it today. Thank you, Traci, for letting me into a small part of your life. I’ll see you at the beach. Save me a spot. All my love, Coach Phil.