Tracy Lee Ross passed away at the young age of 23 on April 20, 2009 from a long term illness. She was born on November 12, 1985 the beloved daughter of Coreen McIntosh (Reinert) of Elgin, IL and Jerry W. McIntosh (Step-father) of Elgin, IL, and Matthew Scott Ross (Father) and Kim Ross (Step-Mother) of Wellington, CO.
Tracy’s love for friends, laughter, music and every type of monkey possible filled her life with joy. Tracy, we love you and will all miss you every day for the rest of our lives.
She is preceded in death by her beloved cousin, Nicholas Lloyd Gray; and loving Grandmother, Gina Overall.
Tracy is survived by her grandparents, Barbara and Lloyd Reinert of Vero Beach, FL and Jerry and Lorraine McIntosh of Palatine, IL; and numerous Aunts, Uncles and Cousins in the Illinois and Colorado area.
She leaves behind her loving sisters, Sandra Ybarra (Ross) and Rachael Bernhardt; two loving brothers, Dustin Harrison and Hunter Bernhardt; and loving brother-in-law, Roy Ybarra; her adorable niece, Jessica. Her nephews, Brayden, Donovan, Dawson and Roy Jr. will hold a special place in their hearts for their Aunt Tracy.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009 from 4:00 until 8:00 PM at the O’Connor – Leetz Funeral Home, Elgin. Funeral Serivce will be held on Friday, April 24, 2009 at 10:00 AM at the O’Connor – Leetz Funeral Home, Pastor William Legge of Carpenter’s House Community Church, officiating. Burial will follow at Lakewood Memorial Park. Memorials in Tracy’s memory may be made to family. For more information or to leave a condolence, visit us at oconnor-leetz.com/obituaries or call (847) 741-1400.
1. lisa murphy:
april 21st, 2009 at: 9:23 pm
tracy was such a great person. i am so sorry she had to go through everything she did. i hope that her death was peaceful and she left with no regrets. i am so sad but at least she isnt in anymore pain. my love and prayers go out to her family. i love you tracy!
2. jeff & kathy mcintosh and family:
april 21st, 2009 at: 11:21 pm
tracy is a beautiful person who touched more people than she realizes. to have to go through what she did should all teach us how fragile life is. we thank you for all that you have taught us and you will sadly be missed. we are all still in shock and i hope you are happy, dancing and at peace.
we all love you tracy and be sorely missed.
3. cassie mills:
april 22nd, 2009 at: 2:30 am
i have known tracy for a little over two years, and i have to say in that time we have shared some great times together. i helped take care of her at dialysis and it was my priviledge. i am sorry for the loss of such a wonderful daughter,sister,aunt, or just a great friend. i know that she will be deeply missed by myself and all the others. tracy you touched more lives than you will ever know and fought a tough fight with your health. you will always hold a special place in my heart. rest in peace. to the family you all are in my thoughts and prayers. god bless
sincerely,
cassie mills
4. erica b:
april 22nd, 2009 at: 8:31 am
i love you tracy, i hope you are feeling better now… i know it was a tough road to take but we are all stringer for knowing people such as u.. peace and happy earth day, monkeys are my daughter favorite animal too. good choice she made.. love u
5. deanna striblin:
april 22nd, 2009 at: 1:39 pm
i’ve known tracy for many years, she was like a sister to me. she had a beautiful heart and you could just tell the moment you came in contact with her. i remember being there for her transplant and a few hospital stays, and she is where she needs to be now, no more suffering. she was a fighter and will be greatly missed!
love you tracy
deanna
6. century helicopters:
april 22nd, 2009 at: 3:53 pm
we have known tracy for many years, a beautiful young woman who suffered too much for her years, but is now at peace. please know our thoughts and prayers are with all of you as you endure a very difficult time.
7. mark & michelle (osman) lloyd:
april 23rd, 2009 at: 12:25 am
we are so sorry for your loss. sometimes we don’t understand why things happen but, god always has a purpose for them. tracy’s life here may have been short but she is at peace now and no longer suffering. we will be praying for you all.
8. lonnie & vicki dodge & family:
april 23rd, 2009 at: 1:34 am
we love you tracy and we will miss you so much. i’m glad we had sometime together last yr, it was so special for me that you called and asked for me to come. i know your happy now and for that we are grateful. rest in peace and we will meet again someday. i hope that your mom and dad and sister will be happy soon also. they love you so much. love, aunt vicki and uncle lonnie
9. lydia hernandez:
april 23rd, 2009 at: 5:35 pm
tracy we love u and miss u dearly….i know ur in a better place now and ur not suffering anymore. i love u girly and we will meet again one day. mine and tracys main thing that brought us close together is our love for monkeys! she was always a unique person who always had a smile on her face no matter how much pain she was in. im gonna miss ya and its gonna be hard for awhile but we will all get thru this knowing ur in a better place now pain free. i send my condolences to her family… rip monkey
10. rachael (sister):
april 28th, 2009 at: 1:58 am
tracy, i love you sooo much. the moment my mom told me that you were gone, buckets and buckets of tears fell down my face! the next day at school, when i wanted to cry, i couldn’t. it was like i ran out of tears, but i know you are doing way better! i miss you and i love you with my whole heart!!! <3 (heart). i know someday, we will meet again. i am starting to start a monkey collection!!! haha.
ok, before i say my good byes, i wrote a poem for you.
tracy you have always been my sister, and alwyas will be. that day my mom told me it happend, it was not easy! and every night, i pray that i will see you again. but just not now. i wish that i could have spent the rest of your life, right there beside you. i love you with my whole heart! , and always will! i know you are in a way better place! : freedom, no rules, happiness, no suffering, and many more! i love you! love, your favorite little sister, rachael :'(
11. sarah melissa hansen:
april 29th, 2009 at: 2:08 am
tracy & i met at st. joseph’s hospital in elgin during our april/may “imprisonment 🙂 ” of 2003. this was just a few weeks after i had connor and nolan. she was there getting her dialysis among other ailments and i had just had my gallbladder removed.
it was my first day out of bed and i passed tracy in the hall as we were walking. we both stopped in the waiting room and just started to talk. the physical therapists kept hounding us to get back to our rooms. after about an hour they realized we weren’t going anywhere, so they left. god, we talked a couple more hours and that was the beginning of a very special friendship. time went by; we kept in touch and our sisterhood became stronger as we both realized we were both sick and we had each other during our hospitalizations. she was such an amazing person and she put me in check more than once. that’s one of the many reasons i loved her. her family became my family . she was my little sis (not at all taking anything away from sandra or her other sibs.), i called her mom “mom”& i called jerry”dad”. thaywere always there for the both of us. tracy got her strength from her family. i loved her as a sister & she will always be my sister. coreen & jerry will always be “mom&dad” she had a heart truly made of gold. and she is just magnetic for everyone that really knows her; their story will start out “the very 1st day i met tracy…” you can’t help but to be drawn to her. 1 thing i can understand about why she was the way she was; was cuz she wanted to be like everyone else. even though we knew it would never happen for either of us. so we gracefully accepted the next best thing. just treat us like everyone else. we wanted to be independent. we despised pity. and we hated “the look”. you know, the look of pity, sadness, and aawww that poor girl. we had hopes. we had dreams. we wanted to get our own place together. and about 3:40p.m. this past monday april 20th, 2009; my best friend died. i have some comfort knowing that everyday isn’t a fight for her. she is at peace. she is in a better place, and she is free.
my dearest tracy, i will keep all my promises to you. i owe you that much for everything you’ve done for me.i miss you all the time. and one day soon, we will reuite. our dreams aren’t buried. when i get to heaven; we will continue where we left off. thank you for taking my pain. my suffering, and my empty heart,just so you could fill it with love, joy and strength. i’ll see ya soon and we’ll dig up that box that is overflowing with our hopes, wants, and wishes, and chicky-monkey; let’s get busy!!!
i love you, sarah
12. colleen eke:
april 30th, 2009 at: 7:50 am
tracy, girl.. you have touched us.. it hurts so badly to say good bye to those like tracy.. she truly had a sparkle in her eye and a smile that would make the darkest of rooms shine bright.. her love and kindness, her silly nature. are all traits of hers that we need to carry on. i love you tracy, i’ll see you when i get there..
love forver,
colleen
13. michelle klinger:
may 30th, 2009 at: 8:25 pm
i grew up with tracey in greeley, colorado. she was one of my best friends. i just heard that she passed away and i am soooo sorry. she touched my heart in so many ways. may her soar high with eagles. i love you tracey and i will miss you forever!
love you always and for eternity
michelle klinger
14. rachael:
april 8th, 2010 at: 8:03 pm
hey tracy, its almost been a year now. it has been hard, but to me still unbelieveable. i miss you and love you very much. every dday atleast once a day you cross my mind. i remember the exact moment when i was saying bye and that i loved you after sandras wedding, and for some reason i knew that was going to be the last time i saw you. but i know you are in a much better place. and i cant wait until i get to see you again.. i miss you and i love !! you verrrrrry much
-your favorite and only little sister, rachael
15. roy:
april 9th, 2011 saat: 3:09 am
just wanted to let you know we miss you
16. rachel nissen:
april 21st, 2013 at: 6:17 am
i am blessed to say that tracey ross was apart of my life and for that i am thankful for. i know some day i will have the honor of meeting her at the golden gates but for now she lives in my memories. it was 4 years ago i lost my bestfriends to a great cause her comfort. i respect this for what it is and i know she is where she will be taken care of and not suffering. i still want the world to know that she will never be forgotten because she was the best thing that had ever happened to some many people. weither she wants to believe it or not she is a very special person. she bring this light into a room that was full of darkness this is the gift she was given from god. so my goal is to carry this light on in my existence and share as much as i can with those that are willing to receive. tracey always wanted me to treat her passing as a blessing so i am trying the best i can to. so in her honor i will be having my wedding on the day she transcended into the proper place. so i plan to continue that positive connection on this special day 4-20-14. i want to take this opportunity as well to thank coreen for being such a great positive influence on my life and jerry for being so welcoming of me into his life. i count my blessings and i just want all 3 of you to know that u are part of them. always loved and missed your home girl rachel^__^
17. daniel walker:
may 12th, 2014 at: 9:43 pm
its been five years since you were set free to be with the rest of the angels in heaven and i think about you everyday and how you impacted my life in the short time i knew you. i wish i had the wisdom, passion, endurance, and muchness that you had. and you always lived life to the fullest.