Andrews Journaling: Remembering Tracy Foster

  • Heather, Casey and Tracy Foster gathered at the Barnard cabin for an evening of karaoke and, of course, Tracy’s smile lit up the porch.
    Heather, Casey and Tracy Foster gathered at the Barnard cabin for an evening of karaoke and, of course, Tracy’s smile lit up the porch.
  • It was just another summer night on Big Choga – Michael Yon had the microphone and sang a country song to Gordon and Tracy.   
    It was just another summer night on Big Choga – Michael Yon had the microphone and sang a country song to Gordon and Tracy.   
    .

    I have known Tracy Lynette Foster since she was born. She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen, and she grew into a stunning beauty. Tracy was something special to everyone who knew her, young and old, regardless of their station in life. She made you feel like you mattered.

    Many of those traits she received from her parents, Pat and Lewis, who have never met a stranger, and I could always see her grandfather Elmo Mosteller’s kindness and her high spirit from Betty, her grandmother. And we know she had the strong will and determination of the Foster Sisters, who were a positive influence in her life.

    All the families on Big Choga are heartbroken because Tracy was part of the lake family. My daughter said, “Mom, I have never known a time when Tracy was not here at the lake.”

    And she knew that Tracy was there if she needed help, she had that protecting quality, and it was a comfort to know she was right down the hill.

    Some of us were talking the other day about when her brother, Casey, got married and Tracy was one of the bridesmaids. When she came down the aisle she was so breathtaking with that long blonde hair and that bright beautiful smile. She looked like a runway model.

    I have known Pat and Lewis Foster since 1969, and they never changed from being the caring people they are. They have had a lot of grief in their life and they have a lot of family and friends who will help them bear the heartache.

    I write poetry and collect poems, and one of my favorites is a poem by Clare Harner published in 1934:

    “Do not stand by my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am the thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints in snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. As you awake with morning hush, I am the swift, up-flinging rush. Of quiet birds in circling flight, I am the day transcending night. Do not stand by my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die.”

    All of us who loved this special lady will remember how she touched our lives. And her footprints on the banks of Big Choga will remind us that she lived, she laughed, she loved and we were blessed to have her.

    “Don’t grieve for me,” Tracy would have said, “for I am never far away. Just keep the memories we have shared, and we’ll talk again someday. You will hear my laughter across the lake, when the breeze begins to blow. And the flower seeds I planted in the spring will begin to grow.”

    Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. To talk about the Andrews Valley, call her at 828-361-3268 or email kandybarnard@gmail.com.