August of 1980 and 1981 were big years for the Haire family! Our Irish twins came along to change our lives! We’d had Travis for four-and-a-half years. He wasn’t necessarily a happy boy at the birth of these two, BUT WE SURE WERE!
August 13 to August 24 were the worst days for Troy when they were young. For those nine days, Tracie taunted him with the fact that they were the same age!
But the rest of the year they loved one another dearly and were natural born playmates! Oh! The joy they brought us – and continue to bring us!
Let’s talk about Troy first.
He was pretty shy and didn’t make friends easily, but Tracie helped him in that department. He loved to play! In the East Liverpool years, he and his friend, Morgan, would thunder down Thompson Avenue on their Hot Wheels! Other days they would disappear down over the hillside and find things to do. They were outside most of the time doing stuff! Sometimes my tools would disappear and I’d have to tell him (and Morgan) to bring them back!
He had church friends too that he enjoyed! And, of course, school friends. While Travis went 1st grade through graduation in East Liverpool [quite a feat for a pastor’s kid!], Troy and Tracie went to East Liverpool Christian School. Troy played basketball, soccor, and track in these years.
If I could get a do-over,
I’d have stayed a few more years in ELO to allow them both to graduate. The Maryland years held many challenging
adjustments.
Eventually we ended up in Akron, OH at the Cornerstone Church. At 20, Troy bought his own car and house and moved out on his own. He kept in touch with us and only lived a couple of miles away. We were running a licensed home for severely behaviorally challenged kids at that time. Troy and Tracie were inconvenienced to have other kids (mostly younger) living in our home. We’ve got stories galore from these years!
When we left Akron, Troy, of course, stayed a few more years until he ultimately used his brother as a launching pad to live in Savannah, GA. At one point or another, Allison Harding, (a Maryland friend) was roomates with each of our three T’s. He had developed a trade in Akron as an upholsterer.
He ended up working for a subsidiary of Gulf Stream. Then, after a season of independence and relationship building with his brother, he began volunteering as a fireman. That led to a new vocation for Troy – one that he continues to hold even today!
Missy came along and turned his head. They were married in February of 2012. They make an awesome team and absolutely love being together!
Troy’s respected by most everyone who knows him. He’s fun to be around. He’s a hard and capable worker with many skills. He’s honest as can be! He loves the Lord and serves the church! We couldn’t be more proud of him!
Now Tracie.
She was a bit of a Tom-boy growing up. I loved it when they would come running to give me hugs when I came home. She was a happy girl! She loved her brothers. She made friends easily. She seemed to enjoy school. She was a cheerleader at ELCS.
In Maryland, she made many, many friends. The acres that the church owned were rutted with four-wheeler tracks during the several years we lived there. Our sudden move back to Pennsylvania came at an awkward time for her, but she never complained.
She stayed with us in Akron until she was nineteen and then moved back to Maryland to live with Allison. Their friendship remains strong to this day! While there, she met Jon Kerstetter. That relationship bloomed.
She showed herself to be a capable manager at Penney’s both in Maryland and again in Boardman – where she lived with us again as she and her mom planned a wedding! The wedding took place in January, 2005. What a joyful day! Then they left for Honolulu, where Jon was based in the U.S. Navy!
Eventually, they ended up in Groton, CT, where Rylie was born in 2007 and Coltin in 2009. We made lots of trips to Connecticut during those years!
Two years ago, Jon was assigned as Command Chief at the Cape Canavaral base. It’s hard to believe that he will be retiring in March, 2024. Now we visit them every spring and they come home every fall. It’s been hard for us to always have them so distant, but we’ve found ways to stay in touch!
They’ve been a blessing to the churches that they’ve participated in! Jon leads his family with strength and grace!
What a great mom! We’re SO PROUD of her and her family! Our grandkids bring us so much joy! They’ll be home next week, and we can hardly wait!
Happy birthday to these two!
Troy and Tracie, we love you and are so proud of you!
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