Rudolph

Tracy T. Rudolph, III, 83, of Fayetteville, passed away on Thursday, June 22, 2023, peacefully, at his residence.

Tracy was born in Arkadelphia, Ark. on Aug. 4, 1939, the son of the late Annie (Rolson) and Tracy T. Rudolph, Jr. When he was eight years old he moved to Waco for a few years and then moved to Austin, which he considered home.

Tracy met the love of his life, Diane Orsak, and they married on March 7, 1977.

After High School, Tracy served in the U.S. Army for four years, where he served overseas in France. After he was honorably discharged, he set off for college at the University of Houston.

After working for several banks, Tracy founded Prosperity Bancshares in 1983 where he was the Chief Executive Office for 25 years, retiring in 2001, although he stayed on the Board of Directors for several years. A Businessman at heart, Tracy was the original founder of Prosperity Bank. His belief in business was that hard work pays off. He was known for his perseverance and having the “guts” to make the hard decisions. Tracy was known to say that business has its own set of rules. As a boss, he always pushed people to reach their full potential. Today, the bank that Tracy founded is a $37 billion company with 272 locations!

Throughout his life he traveled for business and for fun. When not working, he enjoyed a lot of different hobbies. Deep sea fishing was his first love. Tracy traveled to the four corners of the US to fish and beyond. One of his many sayings was “A safe boat is a clean boat.” He was also an avid hunter. After retirement he picked up a new hobby collecting antique cars and had an airplane hangar full of cars ranging from 1930 models to 1980 models. He enjoyed going to car auctions all over the country. In his younger years he considered himself a rancher raising registered Simmental cattle and then later, scaling down to a hay making operation, selling hay to other ranchers, which continues to this day.

What most folks may not have known about him was that he had a beautiful singing voice. Tracy was known to just burst out in song whenever the mood struck him. He grew up during the Elvis era knowing all the words to many songs. He could sing songs from most eras even before his time. He especially liked 50s and 60s country, western, classic, gospel as well as rhythms and blues music. He not only knew the words of all the songs, but also something about the singers themselves. Tracy had a phenomenal memory. He sang in the Church Choir at St. Mary’s Catholic Church until he could no longer climb the stairs into the loft. But he still kept singing from below.

He was proud of his service in the U.S. Army. Most of his time in the service was spent overseas in France. While there, he bought an old car and traveled around every chance he got. He always felt traveling expanded his horizons. As a result of his travels, he became a World War II history buff. If asked a question on anything pertaining to World War II, you would most likely get more information than you bargained for. He could go on for hours relating what happened and why.

Later in life, not being able to pursue a lot of his hobbies he spent time working on daily crossword puzzles and reading the Wall Street Journal, a newspaper he read all his life. He felt doing crossword puzzles kept his mind sharp. Tracy stayed up with current politics and who voted for what and why and could discuss either side!

Tracy is survived by his wife, Diane; three sisters: Mina Maness of Austin; Pat Miller, of Nashville, Tenn. and Madeline Millard of Austin; and he is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Stephen Rudolph; daughter, Laura Rudolph and brothersin- law: Clarence Maness and George Millard.

Visitation was held on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 815 St. Mary’s Church Road, Ellinger. Family received friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A Holy Rosary was recited at 7 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 815 St. Mary’s Church Road, Ellinger, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2023 with Rev. Father Steve Sauser officiating. Burial followed at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery located next to the Church. A Luncheon celebrating Tracy’s life followed at St. Mary’s Church Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Fayetteville Fire Dept, P.O. Box 65, Fayetteville, TX 78940; Ellinger Fire Dept., P.O. Box 113, Ellinger, TX 78938; St Mary’s Bathroom Restoration, P.O. Box 57, Fayetteville, TX 78940 or Hospice Brazos Valley-La Grange, 1048 N. Jefferson St. La Grange, TX 78945 or online at www.hospicebrazosvalley. org.

Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals. com.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig-Belvill Funeral Home & Cremations in La Grange.