TRACY HENRY BOBO, SR.

Tracy Henry Bobo, Sr, passed away at home during his sleep on August 20, 2024.  A life-long resident of The Dotte and the oldest of three children, Tracy was born on April 22, 1943, to Henry Sylvester Bobo and Willa Mae (Brown) Bobo.  

The stories he told about his childhood revealed that he was a mischievous kid and ran with a loyal rambunctious group of friends who loved to wreak havoc on the tight-knit Kansas City, KS community affectionally called the “North End.”  

These stories included tales of speeding up and down Quindaro in his Corvette; spending his money with Black-owned gas stations, retail shops, restaurants and bars; and being both scolded and shepherded by beloved elders in the community. 

One story he loved to tell involved a Sumner High School classmate and three of his teachers.  Following a Friday night basketball game, the teachers made Tracy and his classmate drive them all the way to Lawrence, KS and back for a house party, all while they sat in the back seat drinking and smoking. After returning, the teachers made Tracy and his classmate swear to never tell anyone about this rendezvous. Tracy and his classmate never mentioned it to anyone—not even to each other or the teachers!^[e]

Another story he loved to tell was about his longing for Janice Bell while they were in grade school. He didn’t know her personally but would always look for her when Dunbar North and Dunbar South came together for the annual May Day celebration.  Although they had mutual friends throughout school and graduated from Sumner High School together, it wasn’t until Sociology class at Kansas City Community College that Tracy actually caught Janice’s attention.  

She playfully teased him about the holes in the soles of his highly polished Stacey Adams shoes.  After a party-filled courtship, Janice and Tracy married on April 25, 1964.  A year later, they welcomed their first child Stasi and then in 1970, they welcomed Tracy Jr.  In addition to the two children Tracy and Janice had together, he also had two sons, Luke and David, and a daughter, Akwila.

Many of Tracy and Janice’s neighbors, friends and family might remember the annual New Year’s Eve party in their basement —it was the party of the year! Tracy renovated the basement, along with his father and father-in-law, with shag carpet, a glittering spikey ceiling, and a customized brick bar.  Tracy had learned these carpentry, roofing and brick-laying skills while working with his dad and their family friend, Mr. Mansaw.  

Tracy said some of the hardest and most challenging work he had ever done was laying bricks with his dad, Henry, who was a very talented and sought-after brick mason. He credits his resourcefulness and strong work ethic to working with Henry. 

Tracy’s basement also served as his Citizens Band (CB) radio headquarters where he and Janice would conversate with people from all over the country for hours. His CB handles were Unit 196, Lobo of the Wheatfields, and Rocket Man. Tracy and Janice would drive to annual CB conventions in the Midwest region to meet and fellowship with their fellow CBers.  

Other travel included family vacations when they packed the car and drove West through Kansas visiting cities and towns in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma.  Their destinations included visits to the Cave of the Winds in Pikes Peak, CO; the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona; and the Black rodeo in Okmulgee, OK.  

In addition to traveling and CB’s, Tracy had many other interests. He loved attending his kid’s school and sporting events, enjoyed hunting and fishing with friends and family, was an avid reader, trained and ran the Hospital Hill half-marathon a few times, taught himself taxidermy and even taxidermized several of his kills from hunting! 

In his later years, he had a garden with tomatoes, onions, jalapeño peppers and cucumbers and, for a while, was working on learning to speak Spanish—he often practiced with some of the Spanish-speaking grocery store workers he had befriended.  

In 1991, after 30 years working at General Motors, Tracy retired at the young age of 48!  As mentioned, he had many interests and plenty to do during retirement. In addition to roofing and carpentry work, he continued hunting and fishing.  He hung out with grandchildren and took them fishing and to see the ducks at Wyandotte County Lake.

Shortly before retirement, Tracy became a Mason and graduate of the Fred J. Lee Sr. School of Masonic Instruction—in 1988, he was Outstanding Student of the Year.  During retirement, he committed more time to his Masonic ambitions.  It was his appointment to District Deputy Grandmaster by Grandmaster James Wilhite that started him on his accomplished journey to being elected Most Worshipful Grandmaster of the State of Kansas, Prince Hall affiliation, in 2009. Tracy took great pride in being Grandmaster.  After serving one term, he equally enjoyed his Past Grandmaster duties and status attending meetings, serving the community, performing masonic ceremonies, and traveling the state with fellow Past Grandmasters Wilhite and Clarence Robinson.  Tracy received countless accolades and recognitions.  He was highly regarded as being very well versed in the knowledge of ritual and, for quite some time, he was considered a Guru of the Masonic burial ceremony. 

Tracy was a devoted son and husband.  Along with his siblings Margo and Robert (aka Rocky), he helped care for his parents until his father’s death in 2011.  It was around that time, that he began driving Janice back and forth to kidney dialysis three days a week.  When complications from vascular disease resulted in Janice becoming a double amputee and restricting her to a wheelchair, Tracy was her sole caretaker.  He continued driving her back and forth to dialysis, accompanied her on all doctor visits and sat with her daily whenever she was in the hospital.   After Janice passed away on November 7, 2020, Tracy remained living in the house they bought together in 1967.  He remained active with his masonic lodge and kept busy attending meetings, visiting friends and family, taking daily trips to the grocery store, participating in Corvette car shows, listening to his jazz music, and watching his favorite news channels, TV shows, and movies.  He was under doctor’s care, but still pretty spry.  Tracy missed Janice immensely and, after her death, kept her bathrobes hanging in their bathroom.  Before turning in for bed on the Monday night before his passing, Tracy put Janice’s dentures in a cup for cleaning. 

Tracy had many identities that include son, brother, father, husband, grandfather, uncle, cousin, friend, student, teacher, muse. He was proud, loyal, reliable, smart, resourceful, tough, and ornery.  Tracy will remain loved by his bulldog Patches; his sister Margo Harris; son Luke and his wife Rita, sons David and Tracy, Jr; daughter Stasi Bobo-Ligon and her husband Mel and daughter Akwila Cook; grandchildren Briana Bobo, Caleb Bobo (Sabrina), Brittnea Griffin (Caisey), Tony Bailey, Shane Bobo, Dakota Ligon, Tyger Ligon, Mensa Ligon; great-grandchildren Levi, Luka, and Aycen; nephew Jonah Bobo and his wife Rhetta, their children Erica and Jayce; and two great-grand nieces, numerous cousins, extended family, friends, classmates and masonic brothers.  Tracy’s brother Robert and parents Henry and Willa Mae precede him in death.

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