The mother of a little girl sewed her a red, white, and blue outfit, covering it in stick-on stars, for Independence Day. Throughout her childhood, that same little girl walked her Bernese Mountain Dog in the parade, rode in her father’s convertible, and drove herself and a friend along the parade in a miniature car. From the very beginning, Tracy Hansen Foedisch has been a part of the Riverton 4th of July, and her legacy continues to this day.

Tracy’s Riverton story begins with her father, Walter Hansen, who grew up in Palmyra. He attended Palmyra High School, where he met Tracy’s mother, Ella Bierschenk of Pennsauken. Once married, the Hansens purchased the carriage house at the corner of Elm and Midway, renovating it by themselves into the family home where Tracy grew up. She attended Riverton Public School and also graduated from PHS, where she proudly sent her daughters, too.

They were married in 1987 and, though they moved to Burlington City, Riverton was always in the back of Tracy’s mind. The family moved back to a house on Cherry Lane in Riverton, which was the perfect place for Casey and her soon-to-be sister, Dana, to grow up. In 2010, following the passing of Tracy’s father, the family once again moved, but this time it was to return to the home that the Hansens had built. This house is the place that Tracy and Steve, as well as their daughters, call the family home.

Those same daughters now sit behind a keyboard and write this article, honoring the hard work their mother has put into our little town. It was right around the time Tracy and her family returned to Riverton that she ended up on the 4th of July Committee. When she was approached about joining, Tracy recalls saying “I’d be interested in helping.” The next thing she knew, she was the Parade Coordinator!

But her selflessness and desire to make the community a better place does not stop at the 4th.

Tracy has served on Riverton planning board and worked at Riverton School both as lunch lady and a classroom aide. She has been active at Bethany Lutheran Church, serving on Council and Call Committee, while also starting the Nurturing Committee, a group that sends cards, well wishes, and care packages to those in need of a little support. Further still, she has consistently shown a passion for helping young people, getting involved in various youth programs such as 4-H, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts, as well as her current job working at Hope Community Charter School in Camden, which she helped found in 2011.

If you have enjoyed a 4th of July in Riverton in the last 24 years, you’ve been a part of one of Tracy’s 4ths. As her daughters, the 4th has always been a magical holiday for us and it’s a year round affair in the Foedisch household. Her impact on the community and the people in her life is profound; no matter what, she always has a place in her heart to help others and make people feel safe and at home. Her 24 years of service to Riverton 4th of July were full of joys, stresses, friendship, lots and lots of meetings, and above all, a love for Riverton.

The mother of two little girls decorated a float with them before the 4th, a wagon turned carriage with the help of their Poppop. Throughout their childhood, those same little girls walked their mutt in the parade, rode in their Poppop’s convertible, and drove each other along the parade in that same miniature car. From the very beginning, Tracy Hansen Foedisch has been a part of the Riverton 4th of July, and her legacy continues to this day, in her daughters and all the lives she has touched.

Written by her daughters, Casey Foedisch and Dana Foedisch