Lyle Tracy, who passed away on August 20 at age 57, embodied the essence we all treasure in a community member and friend: dedication, positivity, integrity, selflessness and an unwavering commitment to kids. Just knowing him and what he was about caused every individual to take pause when questioning a decision around youth sports. His legacy will be felt every time “What would Lyle do?” is used to gauge the right thing to do by kids.

Recreation Director Cindy Hazelton said, “Lyle was in my office just three weeks before he passed away to discuss the upcoming travel basketball season. His passion was for kids to be able to play. All of the kids, all of the time.”

Tracy’s involvement in the Gorham Recreation department started with his daughter’s soccer team when she was four years old. He and his wife, Kathy, coached youth sports from season to season for their kids Alex and Cameron.

Right around the time his children moved on to school-sponsored sports, Paul Reynolds, who had spent several years at the helm of Gorham Travel Basketball under its former structure, needed someone to run travel basketball. “Lyle stepped forward and offered his services. He made it so the program could operate on its own. Many times he would be out of town on business making phone calls and sending emails to make sure tryouts went on without a hitch. The job was thankless: letting kids know they didn’t make the team, fielding parental calls about playing time, ordering uniforms, collecting money, organizing practice times, all done for the Gorham kids.”

Tracy played a huge role in the formation of the Gorham Youth Travel Basketball Association (GYTBA) board. He was still serving as the organization’s first President, a role he held since the formalization of the board in 2012. David Willis said, “Lyle was constantly reminding the board that our number one responsibility was to protect the best interests of the kids participating in the program. His willingness to let everyone be heard will be greatly missed. Gorham Basketball and the community of Gorham at large are better off because of contributions and sacrifices made by Lyle Tracy.”

Being a geotechnical engineer, Tracy spent a lifetime making sure designs would stand the test of time. His professional expertise leaked into his volunteer activities, as indicated by the smooth transfer to new GYTBA president Rodney Bryant. Bryant said, “What I admired most about Lyle was his commitment and fairness. He always represented the best interest of all kids, not just a selected few. He was a great man and will be truly missed but never forgotten.”