John Tracey

John R. Tracey, age 84, of Savanna, Illinois, died peacefully, surrounded by his loving family on Thursday, March 24, 2016, at the Good Samaritan Society, Mt. Carroll, Illinois. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Savanna, with Father Moises Apostol as Celebrant. A memorial visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Antl Hall prior to Mass. Burial of ashes will take place in the Rock Island Arsenal National Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 10:30 a.m.
John was born December 5, 1931, the son of Victor and Edith (Bandy) Tracey in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. He attended Savanna High School and graduated with the Class of 1949. After school John went to work for the Northwestern Illinois Telephone Company in Savanna. In 1952, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and proudly served his country during the Korean War. On May 19, 1951, John married Mary Jo Kelsey in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
After returning from his military service, John went back to work as a lineman at the Telephone Company. For the next twenty years he worked as an electrician for Local 145 of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers retiring in 1989. He was instrumental in establishing the Carroll County Veterans Transportation Service.
John was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Local 145, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a lifetime member of the Savanna VFW Post 2223, American Legion Post VanBibber-Hansen Post 148 and the Marine Corps League of Rock Falls. John dedicated his life to his children and grandchildren and always enjoyed attending their athletic events.
John will be dearly missed by his wife, Mary Jo, of Savanna; six children, Mike (Geri) Tracey of Moline, Illinois, Pat (Barb) Tracey of Savanna, Tom (Rita) Tracey of Princeton, Illinois, Colleen (John) McNinney of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Kelley (Joe) Bellich of Thomson, Illinois, and Dan (Stephanie) Tracey of St. Charles, Illinois; 13 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren with one on the way. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Vic Tracey; and a sister in infancy, Patricia Tracey.