Tracy Lee Heider

Tracy Lee Heider, dedicated mother, wife, and daughter passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by family in Alpharetta, after an extended illness on January 25, 2013. She was born on October 6, 1966, in Bismarck, ND. Tracy studied dance at an early age and danced professionally with the Minnesota Dance Theater. She always had a strong passion for performing. She was named Miss St. Croix Valley and competed as a contestant in the Miss Minnesota pageant in 1987. Tracy graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1988. Immediately upon graduation, Tracy married and worked for Pepsico as a marketing representative in Minneapolis and later in Salt Lake City, where her son Michael was born. The family then moved to Boston. Her daughter, Jennifer, was born in Providence, Rhode Island. When the family lived in Columbus, Ohio, Tracy danced with the Vaudevilities Production for 4 years. She and her family lived in Atlanta since August 2004, where she was an active member of the Marist Mothers Prayer Group and the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church community. She was an avid basketball fan, enthusiastically cheering on both of her children at the high school and college level. She tirelessly volunteered at each of her children’s schools throughout the years while the family lived in Columbus, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. Tracy was an exceptionally loving, giving, compassionate, personable woman who touched many lives with her enthusiasm and zest for life. She always made friends easily and was committed to insuring the happiness of those around her with her infectious smile. She was devoted to her family. She is survived by her loving husband, Jim, daughter Jennifer, son Michael, mother Kathleen Braun and father Terry Braun of Phoenix, AZ, brother Troy Braun of Minnetonka, MN and grandmother Helen Braun of Mandan, ND. A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, January 30, at 10:00AM at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 535 Rucker Road, Alpharetta GA 30004. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Tuesday, January 29, at Northside Chapel, 12050 Crabapple Road, Roswell, GA 30075. Those wishing may make memorial contributions to Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, DUMC Box 3624, Durham, N.C. 27710.

Tracy Lee Heider

October 6, 1966 - January 25, 2013