About the Tracey Hilfman award:
Tracey was a beautiful, generous and inquisitive woman, with a playful sense of humor, who treasured time spent with family and friends. Her gentle kindness made everyone she encountered feel relevant and she truly imprinted love on all of our souls. She had a “ferocious heart” and was extraordinarily devoted to taking care of her “two boys.” Tracey truly loved her “mommy” role and delighted in helping out Marshall at his school – The Post Oak School – with classroom projects like preparing photo albums, planting flower gardens, and reading to the children. She effortlessly built a beautiful home and life for her husband and son, a particularly challenging task given Dave’s globetrotting as a sales executive for Continental Airlines. With the snap of her fingers or by simply pointing, she could seize everyone’s attention.
A lively correspondent, she sent amazingly detailed holiday letters. She created a Hilfman Family website and wrote a touching poem for Marshall called How Much Do You Love Me? She was even becoming fluent in Spanish. She enjoyed occasional trips with David and Marshall, particularly relishing their vacation home in Coronado, CA, where she and her son enjoyed the famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World and Legoland.
Her strong faith and the steadfast love and support of David, Marshall, family members who looked after her, particularly Aunt LeeAnn, Aunt Cindi, Grandma Barb, Grandma Babe and a multitude of friends sustained her. “I’m fine,” she would always tell her mother and sister. She joked that treatments only made her slightly spacier than before. Lexie, the beloved family labradoodle, is puzzled by her absence. As Marshall once observed: “Mom, you know what is REALLY important? It’s important that we all love the world.” That’s how Tracey lived her life, and we’ll miss her immeasurably.