Obituary: Tracy, Norann C.
Age 91
She was born May 10, 1921 in Conrad, Montana to Leo and Elizabeth (Dellwo) Corcoran.
She was the oldest of seven siblings and is preceded in death by sister, Margaret Torgerson and brother, Jack Corcoran.
Mom attended first grade in a one room school house and spoke of riding to school in a horse drawn sleigh in the Montana blizzards.
The family moved to Ronan, MT where they worked a small farm with a view of her beloved Mission Ridge.
After graduating from Ronan High in 1939, Mom worked as an usherette at the local theater until she moved to Spokane and enrolled in Holy Names College in 1940.
She found room and board with a local family and worked part time at Standard Oil Co.
The war interrupted college and Mom was promoted to a full time bookkeeping position, a rare opportunity for a woman at that time.
A blind date connected Mom with Patrick Tracy of Sprague, WA while he was on leave from his Army Air Corps assignment in Newfoundland.
A quick, long-distance courtship led to a proposal in 1945.
With a week’s notice the Corcoran family and the Ronan Community put together a beautiful church wedding but shortly after, Dad was off to duty again.
The end of the war came quickly and Mom and Dad settled in Spokane.
First child, Leo, was born in 1946.
Soon after, the family moved to Elgin, IL where they spent a year while Dad attended watchmakers’ school.
They returned to Spokane and then, in 1950, opened Tracy Jewelers in the Spokane Valley.
The business flourished and supported an ever growing family, eventually totaling ten children, two sons and eight daughters.
Mom “kept the books” for the store, laboring over the giant ledgers each night at the kitchen table.
Ownership of Tracy Jewelers passed to son Leo and then to daughter Maureen, but Mom continued to “keep the books” into her 80s.
The Tracys were founding members of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in the Spokane Valley where Mom was an active member of the Altar Society and all 10 kids attended school.
In later years they became members of St. Aloysius Parish where Mom joined the Society and counted the Sunday contribution.
In 1986, with Dad’s health failing, he gently persuaded Mom to sell the family home and buy a condo at Riverview Retirement Village.
They were the first residents of the Village.
We soon learned to appreciate Dad’s vision.
He passed away a year later taking comfort in the fact that Mom was in a safe and comfortable place where she lived independently until she was 89.
Mom had little time for hobbies but she was an avid bridge player and in recent years enjoyed dinners at the Knights of Columbus with her sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Pat Tully.
Most of all, she loved being with her kids.
We will remember her for her gentle and unconditional love.
Preceded in death by her husband, our Dad, Patrick Tracy, she is survived by her ten children: Leo (Mary) Tracy, Spokane, WA, Kathleen (Dan) Merritt, Spokane, WA, Shannon (Jerry) Whitehead, Boise, ID, Maureen (David) Hansen, Spokane, WA, Mary Ann (Don) Tracy, Seattle, WA, Colleen (Kim, deceased) Warner, Spokane, WA, Erin (Matt) Anderton, Yakima, WA, Eileen (Bruce) Aker, Kirkland, WA, Poppy (Gary) Arvan, Burien, WA, and Michael (Sharon) Tracy, Mission Viejo, CA; 21 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
She is also survived by siblings, Betty (Pat) Tully, Theresa Corcoran, Jim Corcoran and Dan Corcoran.
We would like to thank the staff of Riverview Terrace Assisted Living for the excellent care and kindness they extended to our Mom.
A Funeral Mass will be held on January 26, 2013 at 10:00 am at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 303 E Boone Ave., Spokane WA.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Catholic Charities of Spokane.
Please visit Norann’s online memorial to leave a message of condolence at www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com.