Patricia Ann Tracy

Daughter of Gareld Tracy and his wife Alice - Pattie, as she was known to her friends, was a Kansas City girl. Pattie’s deep roots in the area extended from Trinity Lutheran Hospital, where she was born, to her graduation from Paseo High School, Class of 1962. She returned to the Kansas City area in the early 1990’s and lived here since.

She was a fierce mother, aunt, and friend. Youngest of three sisters, she is survived by her eldest sister Sondra (Tracy) Gorla whose three children were an important part of Pattie’s life.

Bonnie (Tracy) Bartels, the middle daughter, passed in 1981. Bonnie raised collies with her husband William and was a successful sales person working for several large national companies.

Pattie - through her sister Bonnie’s death at the Crown Center Hyatt Hotel tragedy, worked with local groups to secure a memorial for the victims. Writing in The Kansas City Star, Saturday, June 28, 2008, Ms. Tracy shared that “There was a time that I was proud to tell everyone I was from Kansas City, Missouri” but that had changed because the City could not find “a little patch of ground in Kansas City (that) could be set aside for a simple and well deserved memorial.” The completion of the memorial in 2015 was a significant success for Pattie as she understood that it helped heal the community by remembering those that died and those that “did all they could to save a life (and) comfort the injured”.

Her 25 year marriage to Lance Cooper took her across the US and they lived in Silicon Valley, California, Morristown, New Jersey, Lisle, Illinois and Placerville, California. Patricia and Lance had one son, Kevin. As a homemaker, Pattie encouraged and supported her son in youth baseball and football and later with his time as a police officer. She was an active volunteer in school boards and the international women’s fraternity Beta Sigma Phi where she served in several roles, including chapter President. After their divorce she returned to her home state where she lived for the remainder of her life.

Pattie was an entrepreneur who started and managed two small antique stores - one in Pleasanton, California and later one in Placerville, California. She also ran several enterprises including a Kansas City area American Cancer Society Discovery Shop where she was very successful at attracting and retaining volunteer employees.

She spent her creative time with friends pursuing writing and art. She wrote and collected poems whose themes covered nature and her faith in God as a provider of wisdom to those that seek His council. She also wrote a book (unpublished) about her life as wife to an executive; ‘The Corporate Hindquarters’ was written in a style that followed Erma Bombeck’s humor which Pattie used to described the sometimes erratic and hectic executive lifestyle that America seemed to follow in the 1980s.

An avid wood carver, she carved birds and wolves and mice. Her finest creation was a full size carousel horse with amazing detail. This was presented as a gift to her granddaughter, Madison. Additionally, she was a sketch artist, using colored pencils to create numerous wildlife animal drawings that she shared with her family and friends.

She loved the Kansas City Plaza, especially the Christmas season when horse drawn carriages were in use. She also enjoyed all Kansas City venues and local restaurants including Union Station, Starlight Theater, and O’Neil’s restaurant.

In addition to her family and her community she also loved animals. She owned several German Shepherds including a wolf shepherd hybrid named Derry that traveled with her when she returned to the Kansas City area. For a time she also raised horses, enjoying their strength and grace.

She is survived by her son Kevin and her grandchildren, James-Patrick and Madison and her great-grandson Finnegan. Her nieces Bonnie Riley and Sara Gorla and her nephew John Gorla were also treasured relationships. She is also survived by her cousins James Payne, Susan Payne, Brooks Payne, and Brian Payne who grew up with ‘Cousin Pattie’ and loved her kind spirit.

Services for Patricia will be held at Newcomer’s Floral Hills Funeral Home, 7000 Blue Ridge Blvd Kansas City, MO 64133. The service will begin at 10am on Saturday, May 7th, 2022 in the small chapel. When arriving at the funeral home pull around to the back where parking is available and walk up to the white double doors. The small chapel is located to the immediate left. If you have any questions please contact the family at (913) 642-3466 or the funeral home at (816) 353-1218.