William Tracy

Funeral Services and a Mass of Christian Burial for William T. “Bill” Tracy, 84, a resident of Davenport, will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, November 9, 2018 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1506 Brown Street, Bettendorf.  Burial will be in National Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinois.  The family will greet friends from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 8th at Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home, 614 Main Street, downtown Davenport, with a prayer service at 6:30 p.m. An additional visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. on Friday at church.  Memorial may be made to the family. Bill passed away Monday, November 05, 2018 at Senior Star Memory Care in Davenport, surrounded by his family.

Born on September 23, 1934 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bill was Carroll and Dorothy (Smith) Tracy’s first child.  He attended Marquette University High School and then served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.  After returning, he received his B.A, M.A. and Ed.D. from Marquette University.

Bill married Marge Clark, they later divorced. He then married Carla Ballweg on December 30, 1978 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Bill began his professional life as a high school teacher and administrator.  He worked for many years in higher education administration.  Bill retired from St. Ambrose University in 1996 as a senior vice-president.

In his earlier professional life, Bill was active in Roman Catholic education and in gaining fair retirement and other compensation for the Catholic women religious.  Later in his career, he was active in organizations related to higher education.  He also served for many years on the Board of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center.  His leisure time was spent being a husband, dad, and papa, working in his yard, reading voraciously (especially historical fiction and non-fiction), attending theatre and concerts with his wife, Carla, golfing, and visiting his large extended family.  He was also known for his story telling, love for his pets, and the Green Bay Packers. It is impossible to describe how much he will be missed.

Those left to honor his memory include his wife of 40 years, Carla, Davenport; children, Tom (Beth) Tracy, Maureen (Dan) Piela, Eileen (John) LeTendre, Kathy Andrews, Lynn (Glen) Gutzke, Chris Tracy, and Lizzie (Brian Nunn) Tracy; brother, Barry (Sue) Tracy; niece, Terry (Erik) Kemper; nephew, Sean (Tammy) Tracy; grandchildren, D.J. (Molly), Julie, Erica (Chris), Melissa, Becky, Patrick (Katherine), Theresa, Anne, Allyson (Dustin), Royce, Tracy, Kaylee and Alexis; great-grandchildren, Kylie, Lilly, Lexie, Ryan, Morgan, Madison, Indy, Ella, Diann, Elliott, Konnor, Kemper, Carter and Ava Grace; four great-nieces, one great-nephew; and former wife, Marge Dunn.

He was preceded in death by his parents; grandson, Michael LeTendre; brother, Pat Tracy; and son-in-law, David Andrews.

Bill’s family would like to extend their sincerest appreciation for the wonderful care given to him by the staff at Senior Star and Genesis Hospice.