Tracy Trypuc, of Setauket, nurse and health educator, dies at 64

Tracy Trypuc loved to learn and to educate others, especially when it came to public health, said her partner, Kirk Cronk.

"She loved helping people," said Cronk, 72, of Setauket. "A lot of her mission was health issues involving young people and veterans. She saw people in need and wanted to help them."

The Setauket resident died on Dec. 21, of complications from the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis and coronary issues. She was 64.

Tracy Trypuc was born on Aug. 8, 1961, in Patchogue. At the age of 19, she moved to California and later raised her son, Kaz, as a single mother. With a dream of devoting her life to public health, Trypuc put herself through nursing school and graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 1995. In 2005, she returned to New York and earned two advanced graduate degrees from Stony Brook University and served as the supervising nurse at Westhampton nursing home.

"Tracy was a very strong personality, very opinionated and very dedicated to the things she believed in," Cronk said of Trypuc, whom he met 15 years ago. "She became very active in the Patchogue community and served as an officer of the chamber of commerce. She was also a longtime member of the Suffolk Board of Health."

For more than a decade, Trypuc hosted the internet television show "Your Health Matters," where she would interview hospital workers, medical experts and public officials. According to Cronk, Trypuc was exceedingly proud of the three pieces of legislation she helped to pass regarding the sale of energy drinks to young people.

"She stood up for what she believed in, despite others not feeling the same way politically," Cronk said. "Tracy was a good person who was willing to expend herself and do what was necessary to get things done."

Trypuc loved art and enjoyed painting and drawing, as well as nature, Classical and contemporary music and spending time with her cats. While she was successful in her career, Trypuc's most important job was being a mother, according to her son.

"Her contributions to public health in general were admirable, but she was most proud of being a mom and raising her son," said Kaz Trypuc, of San Diego. "I admire her tenacity, and I can't imagine being a young, single parent raising a kid. She was never a quitter. She had a lot of hard things come up in her life, especially her health problems later on, and she plowed on through as much as she could."

Trypuc said he would remember his mother as the "young, vibrant, active woman who took me to play soccer and tennis while she took rock climbing classes."

"Looking back now, she lived a full life, and she had a lot of energy and a lot of desire to learn and try new things," her son said.

In addition to her partner and son, Trypuc is survived by her siblings, Vincent, Steven, Patricia and Timothy, and two nephews. She was cremated privately.