Traci Dalton

MIDDLEFIELD- Traci Dalton, of Middlefield, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, at the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. By her side were her husband, Doug Dischino; her children, Lindley Donecker and Brittney Dalton; and Lindley's husband, Daniel. She was 57. After graduating from the State University of New York at Cortland in 1978 with a major in biology and health science, Traci joined Bristol Laboratories in Syracuse. She subsequently transferred to Wallingford. Over the course of her career, she held a variety of positions, retiring as an Associate Director of Global Quality and Regulatory Compliance after 33 years with Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Traci was born in Corvallis, Ore., and graduated from Liverpool High School, a suburb of Syracuse, in 1974. She was a member of the track and swim teams, captain of the gymnastics team, and an Onondaga County and Section III champion in vaulting. Through her later years at Liverpool High School and while at SUNY Cortland, she spent summers as a lifeguard. In 1976, she became the first female chief lifeguard at a state park in New York. Traci lived her life with an adventurous spirit and unlimited energy. She loved the outdoors. Everything that she put her mind to was done with zeal: downhill and cross country skiing, swimming, bicycling, scuba diving, roller blading, and hiking. She and her husband hiked extensively on Connecticut's Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System. She was a cat lover and cared for many stray cats. She was also an avid gardener. Throughout her six-year battle with cancer, Traci was determined to remain active. Four years into the ordeal, she and her daughter Brittney hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, stayed overnight at the Phantom Ranch Lodge and then hiked out the next day. During her last two years and while on two different clinical trials, she and her husband traveled to Scotland, New Zealand and Norway, where they crossed the Arctic Circle, organizing their trips around treatments and procedures.
More recently, no matter how she felt, Traci made sure to spend time being with and supporting Lindley, Brittney and Doug. She was devoted to her granddaughter, Kayla and grandson, Logan. When health permitted, she traveled to Apex, N.C., to be with them. Later, Skyping and video emails were a daily event.

In addition to Doug; Lindley, Daniel, Kayla and Logan; and Brittney, of St. Louis, Missouri; Traci is survived by her parents, Ron and Jan (Bogart) Dalton; her sister, Leslie Katz; brother-in-law, Mitchell; and nieces, Rebecca and Dana; all of Liverpool, N.Y.

A memorial service to celebrate Traci's life will be held at the Middlefield Federated Church, 402 Main Street, in Middlefield on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 11 a.m. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made in honor of Traci's life to the Termer Center for Targeted Therapies at Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06510 or the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, 16 Meriden Road, Rockfall, CT 06481.
Doolittle Funeral Home in Middletown is handling the arrangements. To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.