Francis Williams Tracy, 94, of Harlem, Ga., departed this life on June 9, 2010. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM Friday June 11, 2010, at Harlem Baptist Church with the Dr. Robert Blankenship officiating. Interment with full military honors will follow at Harlem Memorial Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service in the church. He was preceded in death by his wife of 69 years, Jane Ellis Tracy, a son, Lee L. Tracy and his sister, Louise Tracy. He is survived by his daughter, Fran Tracy-Walls, her husband Joel Walls, and their daughters, Katherine and Christine Walls, Raleigh, N.C. and his son, Richard Tracy, Atlanta. Also surviving are three other granddaughters: Ruth Blackburn (Jay), Harlem; Katrina Langdon (Mike), Glendale, Ariz.; and Mary Tracy, Charlotte, N.C.; and two great-grandsons, Will Blackburn and Jack Langdon. Francis was born in Harlem, Ga., September 7, 1915 to Arthur M. and Ruth Reville Tracy. After attending public schools in Harlem, he entered The Citadel at age 15 and graduated with a BA in history in 1935. Intending to enter law school, he found himself instead taking over his father’s business, selling candy products throughout the Southeast, when his father was injured in a near-fatal auto accident. As he learned the commercial candy business, Francis had an idea that culminated in the fall of 1937, when Tracy’s Pecan products began shelling, processing and shipping pecans for the grocery, candy and ice cream industries. The venture that he and his parents opened that year created employment opportunities in the second dip of the Great Depression and long beyond. Marion W. Luckey joined the firm after WWII, which was soon incorporated in 1950 as Tracy-Luckey Co., Inc. As president and chairman, Francis directed the company until 2007. In an age of computer models, he worked with a yellow pad, a pencil and an excellent understanding of math. Occasionally, he’d leave the office mid-afternoon to find an ice cream parlor to test various brands of butter pecan or praline ice cream – “”quality control,”” he averred. Francis traveled extensively acquainting food producers with Tracy’s pecans. In Knoxville Tenn. he was persuaded by a friend to join him on a blind double date. From the beginning he was smitten with Jane Ellis, a recent University of Tennessee graduate; they were married March 22, 1941 at First Baptist Church of Knoxville. The newlyweds settled in Harlem but soon after Pearl Harbor was attacked, he was called to active duty as a lieutenant in the 24th Infantry, serving three years in the Pacific theatre. Later in life, when Francis was encouraged by his children to walk and exercise, he declared he’d walked enough in the war to last a lifetime. Serving in the Army reserves after the war, he finished as a Major. Francis’s leadership ability and civic interests propelled him into many aspects of community life: a Rotarian since 1950 (Harlem Rotary Club, then honorary member of the Rotary Club of Columbia County West), he held various offices including president and was both a Paul Harris and a Will Watt Fellow; he served on the school board as chair, city council and as mayor of Harlem; he served numerous years on the Georgia-Carolina Boy Scout Council (a Silver Beaver recipient); he was a founding member of the Columbia County Development Authority and enjoyed long friendships through bridge and golf at the Augusta Country Club and with the Augusta Golf Association. Francis was a devoted member of Harlem Baptist Church since 1923 and a deacon for more than 50 years; he chaired building and finance committees and was a member of the Men’s Bible Class which he frequently taught. He established the Tracy Scholarship Fund to assist young church members with college funds. Francis read widely: history, archaeology, biblical studies and philosophy; and he was enriched by traveling to Europe, the Far East and the Near East. With a droll humor, a gift for story-telling and singing old time Blues and standards, a strong memory for poetry, he entertained family and friends; his sense of rhythm led him frequently to the dance floor – or to break into dance with his wife or daughter in the kitchen. He was a devoted husband and father and loved his family unconditionally. His deep belief in God’s grace and his knowledge of scripture under -girded him always. In Rotary Club’s four-way test, Francis found a template for his life and his conduct of business: ‘Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?’ He encouraged his business associates to join Rotary and expected honesty and fairness from his managers; commitment and integrity characterized his life. Pallbearers will be Bob Brown, Don Jolley, Willie Burt, Harry J. Dolyniuk, David Titus and Gary Holley. If desired, memorials may be made to the Generations Fund of Harlem Baptist Church or to the Rotary Foundation. Francis Williams Tracy Steadfast in love, commitment and integrity Starling Funeral Home, Harlem, Ga. Tags: 1935
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