Elaine Winifred Tracy

Elaine Tracy ObituaryObituary published on Legacy.com by Kaniewski Funeral Home - South Bend on Mar. 13, 2026.Elaine Winifred Tracy, a woman of extraordinary devotion, intellect and grace, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2026. Born on January 26, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois, to Wilfred and Annette Zizek Tracy, Elaine lived a life defined by service to others.Elaine earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Rosary College, in River Forest, Illinois in 1950, and later a Master of Science in Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame in 1964. Her love of science became her calling, not merely as a discipline, but as a gift she gave freely and tirelessly to others.For nearly thirty years, Elaine was a proud member of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, teaching chemistry, and related sciences in high schools across the country and at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. Her reach extended far beyond the classroom. Through the CHOICE Program of the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice, she taught at Albany State College in Albany, Georgia. She worked with Black junior high students through Project Opportunity Mobile Center in Mobile, Alabama. She taught science in the Pueblo Diocese in Walsenburg, Colorado, to aid underprivileged Mexican American high school students. And she brought science to 7th and 8th grade children at St. Labre Indian Mission on the Cheyenne Reservation in Ashland, Montana.After her years with the Dominican community, Elaine moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she worked for Abbott Laboratories. She returned to Notre Dame to serve as an Academic Advisor in the Freshman Year of Studies, a role she held until her retirement in 2004. She described her time at Notre Dame as "truly a wonderful experience," and all who knew her there would say the same of her.Elaine cherished a famous Ralph Waldo Emerson quote and kept close throughout her life as her own philosophy of living. "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; and to know that even one life has breather easier because you lived." She leaves behind a legacy not written in textbooks, but in the lives she changed.Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, Wilfred and Annette Zizek Tracy, and her beloved siblings, David Tracy and Jean Tracy.She is survived by her niece, Sharon Tracy Garrett (Lance), and her nephew, Mark Howard Tracy, along with three great-nieces, two great-nephews, and five great-great nieces, who carry forward the warmth and wonder she brought to every life she touched.Elaine once reflected, approaching her 80th birthday, that she looked back with gratitude for all the good people who had enriched her life, and for all the wonderful opportunities that continued to delight and amaze her. That spirit of joy and openness never left her.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Elaine on Monday, March 23, 2026 at 11:00 am in the Our Lady of Holy Cross Chapel located in the Dujarie House, 54313 State Hwy 933, Notre Dame, IN. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the mass. Elaine will be interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery following the Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to a mission or educational charity of your choice, in honor of Elaine's lifelong service.To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Elaine Winifred Tracy, please visit our floral store.To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.