Tracy Knox Oliphant

Tracy Lynn Knox was born in Palm Springs, CA on October 15, 1965 to Louise Knox, a former flight attendant, and Ron Knox, a customer service agent, both with TWA. At age 3, Tracy moved with her parents, older brother Andy and younger sister Stephanie to New England. Growing up in Chelmsford and Concord, MA, she attended area schools, graduating in the Class of 1983 from Concord-Carlisle High School. Loyal and charismatic, Tracy drew people to her, maintaining childhood friendships throughout her life, including her classmates from the Class of 1983.

Tracy was born with travel in her blood. Because of her parents' travel privileges as airline employees, throughout her childhood, Tracy was fortunate enough to fly to Paris, to Hawaii and to Southern California for family vacations. She also loved the annual road trips to visit family in Kentucky, to Michigan and to Tennessee. Over the past few years, Tracy loved reconvening these large family reunions in North Carolina's Outer Banks.

Attending Fisher College in Boston, Tracy followed her dream to study Travel and Tourism. Tracy traveled the world on a ship through the Semester at Sea program, again, building lifelong friendships. Her career in the travel industry spanned more than 33 years, starting with Crimson Travel Service from 1983-1992; Magic Carpet Vacations where she was a Director from 1992-2003, then Caribbean Product Manager at TNT Vacations from 2003-2007. Tracy landed her dream job in 2009 when she became the Director of Tour & Leisure Sales for the Fairmont Hotels Bermuda, where she remained until retiring in 2014. In 2009, with her dear friend, Stacy, Tracy co-founded A Girls Gotta Go, a travel company focused on elegant tourism for women, where she served as a silent partner during her tenure at Fairmont.

In her early 20's, Tracy met then married Frank Santangelo III. Tracy had daughter Alyssa Lynn in 1991, followed by son Frank IV ("Little Frankie") in 1994. She reveled in balancing her career with motherhood, and sharing her love of travel with her kids by taking them to her favorite places – Bermuda especially.

During the planning of her 20-year high school reunion, a newly single Tracy reconnected with classmate Jeff Oliphant. The two quickly became best friends and fell in love, soon marrying in Bermuda. Tracy, Jeff, Alyssa and Frankie then moved into Tracy's dream home in Pelham, NH.

Shortly thereafter, Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer. With her characteristic passion and determination, she focused on recovery, and reprioritized her life. Tracy's love of music blossomed, and she became a fixture at concerts, especially her favorite band, Fountains of Wayne. And when Jeff's band Big Dipper planned a reunion tour, Tracy proudly served as tour manager.

In 2012, Tracy and Jeff moved to Scottsdale, AZ, expanding their family with the adoption of two rescue pugs, Remo, then Bilbo Baggins. In June 2013, breast cancer returned at Stage Four. With her trademark tenacity, Tracy used her skill as a social media guru to educate and advocate for metastatic breast cancer research and cure. She and Jeff shared their wisdom and experience as patient and as caregiver with anyone in need. Tracy also found a new passion as an advocate for medical cannabis, because it gave her a remarkable quality of life when it mattered most. Through her tenacity, determination and her amazing will to live, she astounded her doctors by outliving the typical odds by years.

Sadly, Tracy's journey ended on November 6, 2016. She was surrounded by her husband, her sister, and other close family. Tracy is loved and remembered for her limitless generosity, fierce loyalty, warmth, selflessness and humor by all who knew her.



Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
That, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.

All is well.



In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that you please donate to Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (www.mbcn.org).
Services were private.