Tracy Louise Seitenstich

On June 3, 2018, the world unexpectedly lost Tracy Louise Seitenstich, 37, of Dowagiac, whose light was extinguished without a final farewell. A celebration of life service will be held at 12:30 PM on Monday, June 11, 2018, at Faith United Methodist Church, 728 N. Detroit St., Buchanan, MI. She will be laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Buchanan. Those wishing to visit with the family may do so two hours prior to the service at the church. Memorial contributions may be made in care of Brendan Carlsen for her daughter Kelsey’s trust. Those wishing to send a condolence online may do so at www.swemchapel.com. Tracy was celebrated into the world on December 4, 1980 to Phillip and Cindy (Barrett) Seitenstich in Berrien Center, MI. She graduated from Great Lakes Adventist Academy in 2000. On June 13, 2004, she gave a measure of her light to her daughter Kelsey when she welcomed her into the world. Tracy was a woman of few words and fueled her spirit with a quiet passion for music. Whether the melancholic strains of David Gray, the elastic vocals of Freddie Mercury, the airy lilt of Christina Perri or the flinty edges of Billy Idol, Tracy preferred the word of song to her own. She carried a keychain with the phrase, “when words fail music speaks”. Tracy played the piano and flute and gifted her lovely voice to the weddings of her siblings. When she spoke, she was characteristically blunt and to the point, and the only things she sugar-coated were the confections she experimented with in the kitchen. She decried the tried and true desserts for things as uniquely individual as herself and enjoyed sharing with her family delicacies they had never known to exist. And she loved coffee. As in the kitchen, Tracy was an artist behind the easel as well. She enjoyed painting, admiring such greats as Bob Ross and Edvard Munch, and spent time crafting jewelry. Tracy loved reading and the art of word play. She could lose herself in multiple stories simultaneously, and partially read books lay waiting in every room. She scoffed at the idea of movies made from books and had a deep respect for all things pun, especially embracing the juncture at which puns and music coalesced. Tracy had a bitter sense of humor, an ironic wit and a quiet, unobtrusive laugh that lit her beautiful eyes from the light she held inside her. The world is now darker for having lost her glow. She possessed a love of horses and spending time outdoors, often horseback riding, hiking through the woods or at the dunes on the Michigan lake shore or sitting in the stands cheering the University of Michigan football team (Go Blue). The greatest love of her life was her daughter Kelsey, with whom she shared every passion of her life.