She was born in York, Nebraska on October 17, 1922, one of five children born to Ivan and Laura Tracy. She grew up on the farm. When she was very young, she became obsessed with the piano. So her dad bought her one when she was 8 years old. But it didn't come with a bench, so he sold a pig and bought her a bench. That was the beginning of her life-long love of the piano. She was "gifted" and could play almost anything with no sheet music.
When she was in High School, she met Robert Prohaska, and they married on June 1, 1941. They had been married for 62 years when Bob passed away in 2003.
After many moves from York to Los Angeles and back again, they finally settled in Spokane where they bought an old farmhouse on four acres. That's where they raised their four children ... Patricia, Beverly, Robert, and Barbara. She and Bob completely re-built the farm house, and fenced in the four acres to accommodate all the horses they got for their kids, along with dogs, cats, chickens, bunnies, ducks and various other critters. Opal loved animals. After the kids were grown, they moved into a house on Perry Street and completely re-built that one as well. She was no stranger to hard work.
Although she was mostly a wife and mother, Opal had experience teaching school (including teaching some of her own kids), selling Avon and Tupperware, she was a cook at Ferris High School, and she also helped out her children by working for them in their small local businesses.
When she was in her early 60's, Opal found the church she had been looking for her whole life, The Church of Spokane. That's when she became an avid reader. She loved to read her Bible, and did so every day. She loved her Lord very much and often spoke of her faith. Her church friends became her second family.
She could sew anything from a swimming pool cover to Barbie doll clothes, even without a pattern. She could crochet and knit and taught many of her kids and grandkids this skill. She loved her garden and her yard. She was a great cook and cake-maker. She was always making unique and special cakes for weddings and birthdays. She loved to play games and was very competitive, a trait she passed on to many of her heirs. She loved to go to garage sales. And she got all excited when she found a real bargain at the grocery store.
Although she was thrifty, Opal was always very generous and eager to help in any way she could. She never wanted to be a burden to anyone and was independent to a fault. She lived in her own home until she was 98.
At the time of her passing, her children had given her nine grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren. Her legacy lives on through them. She also leaves behind a sister, cousins, and many nieces and nephews. She was loved and cherished ... and will be sorely missed by all who knew her.
A graveside service for family members was held on February 25, 2021. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
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