Reverend Alfred H. Tracy (STH’58)
This obituary was originally published on Forever Miss, and can be found here.
Alfred Tracy (know as Rev / Al / Dad / Poppie) was born on November 5, 1927 in Concord, MA to Gladys (Schnair) and Alfred Henry Tracy Sr. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Ocala, FL on August 22, 2019 surrounded by his wife & loving family.
Al is now reunited with his father (known as Al Sr / Dad / Pop), mother (known as Gladys / Mom / Nana), sister Gerry (Locke), brothers Howie and Dick, son in laws John Trifiletti and Jerry Coughlin and other family members and friends who have gotten his heavenly resting place ready for him.
Al is survived by his wife of 69 years (known as Helen / Mom / Nana) and his 4 children: Sandy Hoyt (husband Colby, children Shane, Melanie, Robin, Cathy and their families), Diane Trifiletti (children John Christopher & Rachel and spouses), Pam Coughlin (children Grace, Jay, Leah, Kathleen and their families), Alfred Tracy III – Tra (wife Kristine, children Erin & Adam). He has been blessed with 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
Al grew up in New England (Connecticut) playing sports, hunting and hanging out with his brothers and their friends. He was a veteran of WWII, serving in the Merchant Marines in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean theaters. After he came back home, he met Helen when she came to New England from Florida to work for the summer. It was love at first sight! They dated and were married shortly thereafter in the Chapel by the Sea in Captiva, FL. After they were married, they move to Connecticut to start their family.
Al loved to learn and spent nearly 13 years obtaining degrees in Engineering and Theology. He began working for the Methodist Church in the New England Conference and worked at several churches in Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 1967, after their 4 children were born, they transferred to the Florida Conference of the Methodist Church in Dunedin, FL. For those of you who know the workings of the Methodist Church, ministers were not allowed to stay at a parish for more than 5 years so they began their trek around Florida through Jacksonville, Immokalee, Lake City, and Ellenton where Al retired from the ministry. Al and Helen retired to Ocala in a neighborhood with many family members and attended the Belleview United Methodist Church where Al was a guest preacher from time to time. His sermons were filled with love and always invoked thought and he always loved to tell stories… :)
Al and Helen loved to travel and get together with family and friends. It was not uncommon to have close to 100 people gathered for Thanksgiving every year. Their daily devotions filled the hearts of not only them but all of their many visitors as well. He graced his family and many other people with the blessings of marriages, baptisms, and other ceremonies that he has presided over. His messages were always uplifting and will never be forgotten.
Al had a deep love for God, country, family and friends. He would always start a conversation with whomever he met and his front door was always open. On several occasions, he offered his home to students from other countries so they could have greater opportunities. He would give you the shirt off his back. Al could fix anything. With his family by his side, he built multiple houses and made repairs to many others. He went on many missions with Red Bird Mission to build houses for those in need in the Appalacian Mountains. He would always offer his services to friends and sometimes strangers who needed things fixed. He was the ultimate handyman, fixing not only physical things, but emotional and spiritual things as well.
Al’s smile would always light up a room as he told a joke or just looked at you with a twinkle in his eye while he told a story. Sharing bible stories or war stories, he was always entertaining with his tales! He could sit around and play the spoons or bones and sing his favorite ditties at the piano. Al will be missed very much by his family and many friends.
The funeral will be held on Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 4:00 at the Bellevue United Methodist Church, 5640 SE Brown Rd, Belleview, FL 34420. Here is a link to the live broadcast of the service for those of you who can’t attend: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=belleview%2…. Look under the “Video” section on their page. In addition to the live streaming, the video will be saved on the FaceBook page under the “Video” section so you are able to view the service at your convenience. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the Alzheimer’s Fondation of America (https://alzfdn.org), Wounded Warrior Project (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or Heifer International (https://www.heifer.org). Please leave a tribute below or share a memory in the Stories section above. Send your donation acknowledgement cards to Helen Tracy, 5 Spruce Drive, Ocala, FL 34472 or email to atracy@digiusa.net. This will bring comfort to Helen and the family members.
And as Al would say at the end every service – “May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mankind, guide you, bless you, and lead you in His way which is life everlasting. Amen.”