Tracy Beth "T" Rankin

1959 - 2020

Tracy Beth "T" Rankin obituary, 1959-2020, Durango, CO

BORN

1959

DIED

2020

Tracy Rankin Obituary

07/10/1959 - 07/24/2020

T flew off during the night on the 24th of July. She believed that LOVE IS EVERYTHING and that it is the most important thing on this Earth.

Tracy was born on skis in Denver, Colorado, and at a very young age, she rode The Eskimo Train to Winter Park, where she developed a need for speed on the slopes. After graduating from Cherry Creek High School in Denver, T came to Durango to attend Fort Lewis College where she graduated with a math degree, and raced for the ski team; She loved to boast about her ability to keep up with all the guys at Purgatory in the late 70s and early 80s. She described those times as some of the best in her life, and she left Fort Lewis ready to explore all that life had to offer. She traveled and continued to study earning her massage therapy license along the way. She worked as a waitress and as a massage and injury rehab therapist, and she traveled extensively, always expanding her knowledge of bodywork and energy healing as well as exploring her love for travel and live music.

Tracy had the chance to see many big-name bands on her travels, but she loved all music and musicians (usually the bass player, but not always). She traveled throughout the Southwest U.S., as well as Central America and Italy and France. She dreamed of traveling to India and Australia but had not yet made it there before she left us. Nature was her sanctuary (although she was baptized in the catholic church), and she also loved art, rainbow gatherings, river trips, music festivals, Buddhist ceremonies, and hot springs that allowed birthday-suit attire. Tracy was an educated, wise, willin', and adventurous woman of many talents. She loved making friends, and she was the first to break the ice and strike up a conversation wherever she was. Her travels landed her back in Durango where she became a caregiver for a time, and where she put down roots in Hermosa; a beautiful place that she came to think of as home. She loved spending time in her yard with her best friend Bella, a ten-year-old lab-mix who outweighed T by at least 30 pounds. They loved growing flowers and vegetables together and hiking to the river, and T celebrated exercising her right to grow legal marijuana in Colorado.

Tracy loved life in general, and those who knew her saw that she possessed a certain inner-light and spirit, which shined brightly no matter what. She loved all animals, and she believed that all lives, and certainly black labs and Love mattered. She is survived by two broken-hearted dogs (one human), her Aunt Suzie, and many other friends and chosen family, both old and new (and that she had not yet met), who will miss her light in their lives. She probably did not know how much she was loved, or how much she will be missed by all those who knew her. We hope that she is sitting in a hot spring at a music festival with Shanti dog right now, maybe making friends with a bass player, or smoking a joint with Gandhi or the Dali lama? Wherever she is, I am sure that she is happy and that she has been transformed back into that Love energy that she tried to teach us all to appreciate.

Addendum from Dog and B: It's been a month of tears, hard grieving, and really missing you T. We can't help but feel that in spite of our efforts and love for you, that we weren't listening hard enough to hear you call for help, and that we could have done more for you while you were still with us on this Earth. This has been a tough life lesson, but it is one we will take to heart as we get back out there, listening harder for that call from those around us in the future. So, happy trails T, and here's to unlimited travels now that you are not held back by the physical. We hope to get the chance to see you again sometime. In the meantime, and in your memory, we will vow to learn to listen harder, love better, and to forgive, appreciate and help everyone and everything around us. We will also remember your special light and your spirited smile forever. Love you, T.

Tracy has been cremated in accordance with her wishes, and there is no burial ceremony scheduled at this time. We are planning for a celebration of Tracy's life in the near future and will post details as soon as possible.

A free online We Remember page for T is available at durangoherald.com to celebrate T's life for years to come.

Published by The Durango Herald on Aug. 26, 2020.
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To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Memories and Condolences
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2 Entries

Hi honey , the day before my birthday ? Dang I miss you !

Heather maynard

Friend

November 4, 2020

Miss ya T

Ron

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August 28, 2020

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