Tracy Demier

Tracy Ann DeMier, of Springfield, Missouri, passed away on September 15, 2024, after a short but fearsome battle with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer of the bile duct system. She was 61.

Tracy was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 17, 1963, to Richard and Cecile Miller. She was the oldest of three children. After graduating from University City High School in 1981, she studied special education at Fontbonne College in St. Louis. Throughout her career, she taught in a wide variety of settings, in both regular and special education.

She met the man who would become her husband, Rick, in 1986, while both were working in St. Louis. They fell in love quickly and married in 1989. They moved from St. Louis to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Tracy worked as a teacher to support the couple while Rick attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. They then moved to Tampa, Fla., for Rick’s one-year internship, finally settling in Springfield in 1994.

Before their daughters were born, Tracy and Rick loved going to concerts, and they saw many of their favorite artists perform live. They traveled to Memphis, Madison, and Kansas City to see R.E.M., but such outings slowed down considerably once their children were born. Tracy loved art, and they went to numerous galleries and art shows.

Tracy loved her kids fiercely and unconditionally. Brettany was born in 1995, Aimee in 1999. Tracy did not work for pay outside the home while her daughters were growing up, choosing instead to labor tirelessly to give them amazing experiences. She participated in Mom’s Club, preschool and PTAs at all levels. Had there been PTAs in college, Tracy would have been their President. She was an avid crafter and a master party planner — Brettany and Aimee still have elaborate Valentine’s Day boxes to prove it.

The family enjoyed traveling. They went to the Grand Canyon — where Rick’s fear of heights gave Tracy a story she retold countless times — as well as Chicago, New York, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, and Europe. They took many trips to Venice, Florida, to spend vacations and holidays with Tracy’s parents. At home, they had frequent game nights, during which Tracy would share her infectious laughter with her loving family.

Tracy was a loyal friend. She maintained close relationships with people from all chapters of her life. She regularly spent time with a close-knit group in Springfield, and her friends have attested to her pride in her children, a constant topic of conversation.

Tracy’s parents passed away in 2017. She is survived by her husband, Rick; her daughters Brettany (and husband Eric), of Kansas City, and Aimee, of Springfield; and her brothers Trey, of St. Louis, and Kenny (and wife Lisa), of French Village, Missouri. She will also be desperately missed by her extended family and friends throughout the country.

The family will receive friends from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, at Herman H. Lohmeyer Funeral Home, 500 E. Walnut Street, in Springfield. A Celebration of Life Service will immediately follow at 2:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Ozarks Food Harvest or Planned Parenthood.