Thomas Tracy – Hendricker Funeral Home

Thomas L. Tracy, age 72, of Kirkwood, Missouri, and formerly of Mt. Sterling, Illinois, passed away peacefully at 6:35 p.m. on Thursday, November 14, 2024, surrounded and held by his loving family. He was born on August 27, 1952, to the late Robert (RT) and Dorothy Tracy. He was married nearly 35 years to Catherine M. Tracy, and they had three children together: Alex, Micaela, and Clare.

Tom was the third oldest of 12 kids. When asked how it was growing up in such a large family, Tom would always respond, “It was great; we always had enough for a baseball team!” He attended St. Mary’s Academy and graduated from Brown County High School. Tom earned his Bachelor’s in Accounting from Arizona State University in 1974. He worked as an accountant after college before joining his family’s company, Dot Foods. For nearly 40 years, he contributed to the success of the family business in various roles, including as a member of the Board of Directors for 25 years.

Tom was a family man and enjoyed his time with his loved ones on the water at Lake of the Ozarks and in recent years at RT’s Cove. He loved baseball, especially cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals. His other passion was flying airplanes, and he found great joy in taking his friends and family up in the skies with him. Tom passed his love for flying onto his son, Alex, who is also a pilot.

Catherine, who he nicknamed “Kiddo,” faithfully cared for Tom for many years during his battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He lived his last year at Dolan Homes where the staff lovingly cared for him.

Tom is survived by his loving wife, children, future son-in-law Daniel Kaufer, grandchildren Sawyer (8), Reagan (5), and Amelia (newborn), and siblings: Donald (Wanda) Tracy of Springfield, IL; Patrick (Jane) Tracy of Town and Country, MO; Anne (Ray) Capestrain of Springfield, IL; James (Jil) of Quincy, IL; Jean (Mike) Buckley of Quincy, IL; John (Linda) of Des Peres, MO; Mary (Jay) Sullivan of Pleasantville, NY; Susan (Scott) Stamerjohn of Quincy, IL; Jane (Fred) Schmidt of Des Peres, MO; Joseph (Jill) Tracy of Quincy, IL; and Richard (Adina) of Des Peres, MO.

Visitation will be held Sunday, November 17 at 4 p.m. at Hendricker Funeral Home in Mt. Sterling, IL. A Celebration of Life mass will be concelebrated by Tom’s nephew, Father Mark Tracy, and Father Aaron Kuhn on Monday, November 18 at 10 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mt. Sterling, IL. Hendricker Funeral Home of Mt. Sterling is handling arrangements. Condolences to the family may be submitted online at www.hendrickerfh.com. Memorials in Tom’s honor may be made to the Brown County Public Library District, the Alzheimer’s Association of Missouri, or Memory Care Home Solutions.
Tom loved his sweets, especially his sisters’ cookies. If you’d like to honor him, have a sweet treat in honor of Tom’s sweet life.