Traci attended elementary and junior high school in Dallas, and then she and her mother moved to Carrollton, Texas where Traci went on to graduate from Newman Smith High School in 1979. While attending Newman Smith, Traci enjoyed her teenage years, including participating in the school’s drill team. Also, while attending high school, Traci worked part time at Braum’s and was able to save up enough money to buy her very first brand new car, which was a real testament to the work ethic Traci had already started developing early on in her life. After high school, Traci went on to attend Texas Tech University, where she earned her degree in landscape architecture in 1984. Upon her graduation from Tech, Traci went to work for the city of Farmers Branch for 24 years, where she made her way up the ranks from landscape architect, to project manager in the engineering department. During her tenure at Farmers Branch, she met and married Clifton Jones, a lowly man without prospects. Traci and Clifton raised two daughters and during that time, Traci attended school at night for a number of years, and shortly after the birth of their second child, she completed her Master’s Degree in Public at Administration in 2000, from the University of North Texas. In 2008, Traci retired from Farmers Branch and then went to work at UNT as a project manager, where once again, Traci’s hard work allowed her to move up the ranks and transfer to UNT Dallas, in order to become the Assistant Director of Facilities and Space Management. Traci held this position until she retired January 31, 2026. During Traci’s professional life, the work ethic she learned from her mother, helped her to do amazing work. Much of her work was literally breath taking and earned her far too many awards to list in a simple obituary. Traci genuinely loved all of the friends she made during her professional life and maintained close relationships, with many of them for decades. Traci was the sunshine wherever she went and when she smiled, she smiled with her whole body. Traci’s smile and her playful spirit were truly infectious, and she always had a way of drawing people to her, like a magnet.
Clifton Jones (Traci’s lowly husband’s self-indulgent recollections): I was a ballplayer and one night, I came jogging off the field, when I saw this girl, who was absolutely stunning! She was kind of leaning up against a light pole and had on a sleek black dress and all I could think of, was that I just had to meet this girl! But the thing that honestly attracted me to Traci the most (other than that sleek black dress of course), was her smile. As previously mentioned, whenever Traci smiled, she smiled with her entire body, and you knew it came from her heart. Fortunately for me, Traci worked with one of my teammate’s wife, so I had an in. So, after a little begging, I was able to get them to make an introduction and our very first date was a double date with my teammate and his wife. I didn’t know it after that first date, but she invited me to attend one of her work functions the very next day and by the end of that day, I knew the hunt was over… without question, she was undeniably the one for me! She must have felt the same way because from that day forward, we were completely inseparable, and we remained that way for almost 34 years. I have no idea what she ever saw in me because I had absolutely nothing to offer at the time. I was just a ballplayer who worked as an electrician’s apprentice. I barely made enough money to buy a beat-up old car that barely ran and I had just moved back in with my parents, because I couldn’t afford to pay rent on an apartment. So, I figured she was either really desperate, or she saw a lot of unrealized potential in me. And since she was smoking hot, I knew there was no way she was desperate. So, the biggest mystery of my life has always been, how on earth, could such a highly educated, stunningly beautiful woman, ever be attracted to such a lowly man like me? The answer finally came to me a couple of days after she passed away. It was early one morning while it was still quiet, and a thought gently drifted through my mind like a soft summer breeze. The answer was that she had always seen a lot more in me, than I could have possibly ever seen in myself. She made me an infinitely better man than I ever could have been without her. For almost 34 years, she was my rock, my cheerleader, my playmate, and my source of encouragement, and she was always on my side, even when I was wrong. She got me through my firefighter certification, then my paramedic license, and then my bachelor’s degree. Then many years later, when many of my friends were starting to retire, she cheered me on to get a degree in welding. She cheered me on and supported me through all of these triumphs and many more in between and she was also always my soft place to fall, during my failures, and my lowest of lows. She always saw what I couldn’t see in myself and as a result, she always made me a better person in all of my life’s ups and downs. I do not believe it would be realistic to say she made everyone she knew a better person; however, I will say she made everyone she knew feel better, simply because they knew her. When it comes to Traci, I believe there is essentially one undeniable truth. And I genuinely pray that no one finds this offensive in any way… Since the day I met her, I have always said that if you did not like Traci, it was due to a character flaw on your part, not hers, because Traci was without question the most likeable, most supportive, the most giving and flat out, the most adorable person I have ever known, and I honestly believe, that the only reason some people ever tolerated an irascible man like me, was just so that they could be friends with her! I apologize for not remembering who said it, but they said that to know Traci was to love her, and to love her was to be loved by her. And one thing I would also add that is, if she loved you, then you became a member of her family, for life! ~~~~ My Hunnees, I love you so much darlin’ (she loved it when I called her “darlin’”). You were my rock, my partner, my silly playmate, and my soft place to land. And outside of the Lord, you have always been the singular most important thing in my life, for over half of my life. I have some moments now, when my shattered heart hurts so much, I can barely breathe. But I’ll survive. Life goes by in the blink of an eye, so I know someday soon, I will see you again.
April and Faith Abigail (Traci’s daughters): We thought the best way to honor Mom’s memory was to tell our favorite stories that embody the person she was. Mom was a mom to all, a Mary Poppins with a hint of pixie dust, and had a heart the size of Texas.
Mom was often referred to as the "second mom." She had a way of making everyone feel like they belonged. She celebrated your victories, listened with her whole heart, and fiercely stood up for the people she loved. During my (Faith) sorority Mom's Day, I signed her up to "adopt" a friend whose own mom couldn't be there, without even asking first. I was not very close with this friend yet, but I knew exactly what Mom’s answer would be. She was always excited to add another seat to the table. When I later found out I had to work and couldn't attend, Mom went anyway. She showed up just for her, making sure she felt seen, celebrated, and loved. That was who Mom was. She never hesitated to step into whatever role someone needed. Whether for a day or for a lifetime, she had an extraordinary gift for making people feel like family.
When we were building a new house and Mom wanted to paint our bedrooms to save money on hiring painters, it could’ve been an arduous, weekend long chore. Instead, she bought us coveralls and white hats, wrote “Ralph” (Green Acres) on hers, and made it a weekend sleepover adventure. We ate pizza, slept on air mattresses, and helped paint our rooms (as much as a 6 and 12-year-old can help anyway). Mom was the best at putting a “spoonful of sugar” into even the most menial and mundane tasks.
I (April) will never forget the time that Mom realized a lady in her Sunday School class didn’t have her own Bible because she couldn’t afford it. Mom went and got a sturdy leather-bound Bible and had the woman’s name embossed into it. I watched her sit and painstakingly tab the whole Bible for what felt like a gagillion hours at 8 years old. It always stuck out to me how she treated the whole project so lovingly, as if doing it for herself or a close loved one. The next morning, we got to church VERY early so that Mom could put the Bible at the woman’s usual spot and run away before anyone saw what she’d done. I brought this story up to her in adulthood, and she barely even remembered doing it. That’s just how often she would be the hands and feet of Jesus around her.
These are just a few examples of how Mom raised us by showing us how to exist in this world rather than telling us. She rewrote our story by being our Momma. She gave us a love of musicals, whimsy, “the little things,” the Lord, Sonic ice, and laughing until we pee. She reminded us that kindness is often quiet, that generosity doesn't need recognition, and that the greatest legacy a person can leave is the way they make others feel.
A graveside service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Gunsight Cemetery in Gunsight, Texas. A visitation will be held Friday, July 3, 2026, 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at Cooper-Sorrells Funeral Home, Honey Grove, Texas.
To share a memory or leave an online condolence, visit www.coopersorrells.com
