Tracie Carole Christensen, a resident of Pacific Palisades, died Wednesday, October 20, in Santa Monica after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She was 46. Born in Glendale, California, to Carole and Charles Deack on November 14, 1963, Tracie was raised in Alhambra and attended Marguerita Elementary School with her younger brother, Scott. Tracie loved to dance and perform as a child, and pursued her passion by becoming both a junior varsity and varsity cheerleader at Alhambra High School. She also excelled academically, graduating with honors, and was named to the National Society of Distinguished High School Students. Tracie earned her bachelor’s degree in communications at UC Santa Barbara, and made the dean’s list before graduating in 1985. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, where she met sisters who would become her lifelong friends. Tracie’s career path led her to UCLA, where she headed the development program for the College of Letters and Science while concurrently directing the Women and Philanthropy program. In 2008, she was selected from a national pool of candidates for the job of associate vice chancellor for development. At UCLA, Tracie was known as ‘a talented leader with an impeccable strength of character and fierce conviction’who consistently forged dynamic and loyal teams marked by an esprit de corps and a dedication to having fun in pursuit of unwavering success.’ Tracie married Robert (Rob) Christensen in 1993, and settled in Pacific Palisades. Together they enjoyed windsurfing, traveling to Hawaii, Aruba, Japan and many other destinations. After their son Cade was born in 1998, Tracie became a devoted mother who treasured her family and rarely missed Cade’s baseball, soccer, football and basketball games, along with the many school activities. Always with a smile on her face, Tracie was a shining light to her family, a dedicated friend and an inspiration to her colleagues. In addition to Rob and Cade Christensen, Tracie is survived by her parents, Carole and Charles Deack; her brother Scott; sister-in-law Denise; and two nephews, Ryan and Trevor. Services were held on November 1 at St. Matthew’s Church in Pacific Palisades, followed by burial services at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica. An additional tribute to Tracie Christensen will be held at UCLA on November 7 at 1 p.m. at Royce Hall. All interested community members are encouraged to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the ‘Cade Robert Christensen Scholarship Trust,’ c/o Keenan Behrle, 9665 Wilshire Blvd., Suite M-10, Beverly Hills, CA 90212, or the UCLA Sarcoma Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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