Obituary of Thomas W. Bracken

Thomas William Bracken, of Irondequoit, age 82, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on April 5, 2016 at Rochester General Hospital. Son of Harold Bracken and Kathryn Armstrong Bracken, Tom was born June 23, 1933 and raised in Wabash, Indiana, along with his brothers John and Richard. Tom is survived by his loving wife of nearly 58 years, Frances Willis Shrader Bracken, and three children: Julie Ann Reitz of Irondequoit; June Elizabeth Bracken of Cumberland, MD; and Thomas Shrader Bracken of Fallston, MD. Tom was highly active in the lives of his eight loving grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A mechanical engineer who graduated from Purdue University in 1955, Tom served in the Army, worked for National Cash Register, Bausch & Lomb, 3M Company, Eastman Kodak, and retired from Burleigh Instruments. His accomplishments included creating the prototype for today's driver's license cameras and designing lasers and precision measurement tools, one of which was utilized on a Space Shuttle mission. Tom's passions ranged from listening to jazz, watching Formula One racing, skiing and playing tennis and golf. His greatest joy of all came from singing with the Third Presbyterian Church Choir for several decades. A memorial service and reception will be held at Third Presbyterian Church on Monday, April 11, beginning at 5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the charity of your choice.