Thomas Vincent Traczyk , April 19, 1939 — July 01, 2018

Thomas V. Traczyk of Niceville, Florida, passed away on July 1, 2018, at home surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, in 1939 to Ann Marcella Zameroski of Ridgway, Pennsylvania, and Thomas V. Traczyk of Dubois, Pennsylvania. Tom grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and after graduating from the University of Michigan, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

He was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he was a target systems program manager. He was subsequently assigned to Norton Air Force Base, California, where he was the program manager for ballistic missile technology programs. After completing active duty, he and his wife returned to the Niceville area which they both loved, and he was employed by civil service at Eglin.

At the peak of his career, Tom worked as the Chief Engineer on the High Altitude Supersonic Target Program, which set a world record for airspeed and altitude for an unmanned aircraft. After the conclusion of that program, Tom worked as the senior engineer on several weapon systems programs until he retired in January 1995. Tom was a long-time parishioner at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church.

He loved his family. He loved being outdoors and working around his home and yard. He loved to travel to see his children and grandchildren, and he loved visiting the National Parks.

Tom is survived by his wife of fifty years, Bleeka Traczyk of Niceville, Florida, son and daughter-in-law, Thomas and Jean Traczyk of Irvine, California, and daughter and son-in-law, Kimberly and Michael Hackbarth of Burke, Virginia. Tom is also survived by his five grandchildren, Lauren, Tommy, and Tyler Traczyk, and Hailey and Hunter Hackbarth. He is also survived by his sister, Carolyn Mastej, of Pensacola, Florida.

For the past two years, Tom has been lovingly cared for by Emerald Coast Hospice, especially Cherri Denney and Deena Bryant. The family would also like to thank Synergy Home Care, especially Dianne Duell. Finally, the family would also like to thank Tom’s long-time doctor, Dr. Wyndal Blankenship.

A time of visitation will begin at 9:00 AM on Thursday, July 5th, at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, followed by Catholic Mass at 10:00 AM and a luncheon immediately following. Interment will be at Heritage Gardens in Niceville, Florida.

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