Tracie Melisa Watson, 49, passed away after her battle with cancer at home surrounded by her family on April 23, 2021. She was born on October 30th, 1971 in Magnolia, Arkansas. She was raised there by her mother and attended Magnolia Senior High School.
She later moved to Tyler with her mother and sister, Ashley, and this was where she married the first love of her life, Joe. They eventually settled in Henderson where they raised their daughters, Meagen and Holly, until Joe’s life was cut short due to cancer. Heartbroken but still resilient, she picked herself up showing her children that death isn't the end of life for those left behind but rather the beginning of the next. It was in that next chapter, she met Bill and fell in love with him even through his faults (the primary one was him being a Seahawks fan and her a lifelong Texans fan) and became a mother to his children, Connor and Carley.
While her time with Bill was not long enough, it was never the more filled with many great memories like family trips to Myrtle Beach, getting lost in the maze of aisles at IKEA, making trips to the Silos to see the newest wares from Chip and Joanna, and trying new eateries featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (a staple show at the Handford House).
Tracie held many different positions during her working career within the customer service industry. Having to talk to customers on a daily basis was a match made in heaven for someone like her. Her tone never turned to anger even when dealing with the most hostile customers. There was just something about her folksy way of speaking that soothed even the most tense of situations.
Family was everything to Tracie. She was at every dance recital, soccer match, football game, CrossFit competition, and was even Holly’s soccer coach and president of the drill team. She beamed with joy any time her girls accomplished a goal they had. She was more excited about Holly becoming a teacher than Holly was. The two of them were not only mother and daughter but were truly best friends. They spent almost every weekend together. Even in her final days, they laid beside each other until the very end. She and Meagen loved going on adventures throughout Dallas. Ashley and Tracie had a strong sisterly bond, and Tracie loved Ashley’s children, Ava and Graham, as if they were her own.
Tracie had an enthusiastic personality and was personable with everyone she met which made her so easy to love. You could tell that from the outpouring of love she received when she was diagnosed. There were too many people to count that brought food or lended a helping hand in her final days. Everyone wanted to be with her, even for just a moment, because she was light in the dark, and an example that the world still has a place for the kind of heart. She is preceded in death by: husband, Joe Watson.
She is survived by: husband, Bill Handford, of Tyler; mother, Patti Wan, of Texarkana; daughter, Meagen Poston and husband, Matthew Poston, of Dallas; daughter, Holly Watson and fiancé, Mark Layne, of Henderson; daughter, Carley Handford, of Tyler; son, Connor Handford, of Puyallup, Washington; sister, Ashley Freece and husband David and their children, Ava and Graham, of Texarkana; and a host of family and friends.
A celebration of Tracie’s life will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 2, 2021 at Lloyd James Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Tim Watson officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1:00-1:30 p.m. Sunday, prior to the service.
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