November 9, 1943 – November 29, 2025


Joel Tracy, age 82, died Saturday, November 29, 2025. Joel was born November 9, 1943 in Wichita, Kansas to James R. Tracy and Mildred Arminta (Bills) Tracy. In the early 1950s the family moved to Sacramento, CA where he attended school, graduating from La Sierra High School in 1961 and some Junior College. He served in the California National Guard in the 1960s.

Joel met his wife, Susan, at the Arcade library in Sacramento in 1972. Their move to and involvement in the city of Grass Valley making life long friends was always a blessing to Joel and Sue.

Joel left CalTrans in 1975, happily taking a job with the City of Grass Valley and subsequently a job with the County of Nevada from which he retired in 1995. He worked in surveying for many years. Joel had many interests and worked hard developing knowledge and skills in these many areas.

His interests included flying his Cessna 150 and later a Cessna P172. He was a proud volunteer fireman for over 15 years with the GVFD and active as an honorary fireman with post service events, including training, fair booth and association meeting activities.

An avid outdoorsman he loved camping with friends, hiking the Sierra Buttes and Haskell Peak in the summers. Joel volunteered for many years at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park doing most anything he was asked to do. He made signs, helped rebuild items damaged in winter storms, participated in Humbug Day celebrations and in general tried to do his part to make the Park welcoming to visitors.

Joel spent many years as an active member, and then leader, of the Fremont Howitzer Recovery Team, searching for John C. Fremont’s Howitzer that was abandoned in the Sierras in the 1840s. This endeavor sparked his appreciation of the history of the western movement in America. The team was successful in finding the abandonment site, but the howitzer still waits to be recovered.

Joel is survived by his wife of 43 years, Susan, and his sister, Sharon Tracy.

Joel’s special oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles will be sorely missed.