John Tracy, a longtime Maspeth resident, died on February 29th, 2004. Mr. Tracy was eight-two years of age, and had lived in Flemington, New Jersey for the past twenty years. He was born on April 10th, 1921 in the Bronx. His family moved to Springfield Gardens, Queens in 1923. Mr. Tracy was graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, Queens in 1940.
He enlisted in the United States Army after high school and was assigned to the 1st Signal Company. Mr. Tracy saw action throughout the Allied campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, and the Rhineland. He was recognized for his bravery under fire in the Tunisian campaign, where he worked an average of 15 hours a day (including stretches of as many as 52 hours without sleep) to maintain his division’s telephone communications under heavy enemy bombardment. In the Normandy campaign, Mr. Tracy landed at Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944, at D-Day +1 hour and withstood heavy fire while laying wire. For his service in the aforementioned campaigns, Mr. Tracy was awarded the Bronze Star (citing his “tireless efforts, resourcefulness, and unswerving devotion to duty”), the Distinguished Unit Badge, the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. He received his Honorable Discharge, with the rank of Technician, 4th Grade in June 1945.
After his discharge, Mr. Tracy went to work for the New York Telephone Company. He was a telephone repairman operating out of New York Telephone locations in Astoria, Long Island City, and other areas of Queens for the next thirty-eight years. He retired from the New York Telephone Company in 1984. Mr. Tracy was a longstanding member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and the Communications Workers of America (CWA). He walked a picket line during the New York Local of the CWA’s seven-month strike against the New York Telephone Company during 1971 and 1972, and remained a loyal union member throughout his career and retirement.
In June 1970, Mr. Tracy married Marion V. Stark (née Lohmuller) and moved to her family’s home in Maspeth, where he lived for the next fourteen years. Mr. Tracy is survived by his wife Marion, of Flemington, New Jersey; his stepdaughter Patricia Hans and her husband Jack, of Maspeth; his granddaughter Jaclyn Hans of Maspeth; his stepdaughter Barbara Stark of Bayside; his stepson Richard Stark and Mr. Stark’s wife Kim, of Bloomfield, New Jersey; his niece Rita Curcio and her husband Tony, of Plano, Texas; his nephew John Lee and Mr. Lee’s wife Nancy, of Wilmington, Massachusetts; his nephew Robert Lee and Mr. Lee’s wife Anne, of Huntington, Long Island; seven great-nieces and great-nephews, and one great-great-niece.
A memorial service for Mr. Tracy was held on April 24th, 2004. His remains were interred alongside those of his parents at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island. His family requests that donations in Mr. Tracy’s name be made to the National D-Day Memorial Foundation in Bedford, Virginia.
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© 2004 Richard Stark