William Tracy Jr. Obituary (1955 - 2025)

William “Bill” Tracy Jr., 70, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and furbaby Alice on April 14, 2025, at his home in Eastport. Born in St. Stephen, N.B., on March 31, 1955, son of William and Lillian (Bartlett) Tracy. Bill graduated from Calais high School, Class of 1973. He entered the U.S. Army and became a Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. His military service was one of his proudest and he often joked, “it takes a special kind of stupid to jump out of an airplane at night”. Upon leaving the Army, Bill attended deep diving school and traveled throughout the country doing under water dives. Bill returned to his hometown, Calais, ME, and opened Tracy Tour and Travel, and Video East. He was instrumental in bringing concerts to the area and shared his love of blues music with his community. He left his hometown and spent 20 years in Florida where he owned and operated his own pool business. His customers quickly became friends and looked forward to his weekly stories. Bill and his wife Rhonda returned to Washington County and settled in Eastport, Maine. Bill loved his little community, home, and enjoyed sharing stories and easily met several people. He was predeceased by his father, William Tracy Sr.; and his beloved black lab, Katie. Surviving are his mother Lillian Tracy of St. Stephen, NB, his wife Rhonda of Eastport, ME; children, Glenn of TN, Jessica (Scott) of Bangor, ME, and Will (Autumn) of Bangor, ME, and Brooke (Jake) of Calais, ME; step-children, Jasmine of Saint John, N.B., James of Calgary, Alberta, and Jade of Calais, ME; seven grandchildren, Ilynn, Ava, Emmett, Juliet, Stella, Mariah, and River; two special sisters, Susan and husband Don of St. Stephen, NB, and April and husband Mark of Englewood, FL; special nieces and nephews, Angela and husband Scott of St. Stephen, NB, Karen and husband Brian of FL, and Marlin of FL; a great niece and great nephew; aunts, uncles, and cousins; long-time friends, Jeff Barlow, Bob McShane, Russ Moffatt, Bill Gibson, and his guardian and long-time friend Michael Donnellan. Bill loved boating, tennis, adventures, and sharing stories. He had a personality larger than life and could easily command a room by walking in it. He loved talking about his military life, traveling, his hometown, family, and all of the amazing experiences he was blessed to have. His love of story telling prompted him to compile some of his favorites into a book, The Talking Part Is Over. Bill also enjoyed being a substitute teacher at Calais High School and having an impact not only with the students, but the staff as well. Bill was 59 years old when he met the love of his life, Rhonda, who he referred to as his rock. As Bill once said, “they make an unbeatable team”. They added a sweet little fur baby to their family, Alice. Bill loved riding around Eastport with Alice, taking videos and photos, and sharing them with friends and family. In his final days he stated, “I’ve lived a good life with no regrets”. Bill passed with strength, dignity, and peace, like the soldier he was. A graveside service with military honors will be held at a later date. Arrangements are being handled by the Mays Funeral Home & Cremation Services. We invite you to share your memories, stories, and photos of William on his memorial page at www.MaysFuneralHome.com. Let us celebrate his life and remember him as the extraordinary man he was.