James "Sarge" William Tracy

James William Tracy of Port Charlotte, FL died on September 19, 2024 of cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange during two tours of service with the United States Marine Corps. He was another casualty of the Vietnam War.

Jim Tracy was born in Providence, RI on October 19, 1948. He completed high school at Central High School and a Bachelor of Science in Business degree at Johnson & Wales University. After high school, he worked for Cable Electric, a subsidiary of Leviton Manufacturing until the company was absorbed into Leviton in the 1997. During his tenure, he rose from an entry level position in manufacturing to the position of National sales Manager.

In 1966 he joined the United States Marine Corps where he served two tours in Viet Nam in combat as a radio / telephone operator. In 1970 he left active service with the rank of Sergeant / E5. In total, he served six years with the USMC including two in the USMC reserve.

In 1976, Jim joined the Rhode Island Air National Guard as a civil engineer in a Prime BEEF (Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force) unit. During his enlistment, he supervised construction projects overseas where his unit built schools and hospitals. He retired from the RIANG as a Senior Master Sergeant / E8.

During his lifetime, Jim was a lifelong Blue Lodge Mason and member of St. Johns #1 Lodge in Providence. He was a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Providence and the Palestine Shrine (now Rhode Island Shriners)in Cranston where he was active in the Legion of Honor and Sojourners. After retirement, he was also active in several organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Loyal Order of Moose, and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Jim retired to Punta Gorda, FL in 2019 where he owned his home. He is survived by his brothers Edward and Rickard Kenneth, his sister Barbara, and his daughter Amy Bell.

A Masonic Service will be held at the Punta Gorda Masonic Lodge #115 at 25349 Airport Road in Punta Gorda at 2:00 on March 18th. His inurnment with Military Honors will be held at Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL on March 19 th at 12:30 pm. Military Honors will be conducted by the United States Marine Honor Corps Guard. Please contact his brother, Ed Tracy, at (508) 254-1500 or [email protected] to assure adequate seating if you wish to attend these services.