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TRACY--Steven James Vickerman, age 73, passed away on July 20, 2026, at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Mary's Campus in Rochester, Minnesota, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 23, 2026 at Tracy Lutheran Church in Tracy. Visitation will be held 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 22 at the Tracy Area Funeral Home, and will continue for one hour prior to the service at church on Thursday. Interment is in the Tracy City Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service - Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Steven James Vickerman was born on January 13, 1953, in Slayton, Minnesota, to Jim and Wava (Carlson) Vickerman. He was baptized and confirmed at Tracy United Methodist Church. He grew up on the family farm near Tracy, where he began farming at just 10 years old -- a love that would define his entire life.
Steve graduated from Tracy Area High School in 1971. It was there that Steve met his sweetheart, Patricia Buzzell. After three years of dating, the two were married on March 30, 1974, at Tracy Lutheran Church, beginning a marriage that would span 52 happy years.
Farming was Steve's life's work and his greatest passion; one he pursued without pause from childhood all the way through his final harvest in the fall of 2025. He also loved the outdoors, and after high school he started traveling out west with friends chasing elk and deer. Over the last two decades, he enjoyed several hunting trips to Montana with his son Jason, his brother-in-law Pat Jopp, his son-in-law Nick Taintor, and other close friends. Closer to home, he found joy in the simple rhythms of farm life -- mowing the lawn (a three-hour job he never seemed to mind), fishing even on the days the fish wouldn't bite, discussing the weather every single day, playing buck euchre, and riding out in the Gator to check on his crops.
Steve cherished time with his parents, who lived just a mile away and were a constant presence for his children as they grew up. He and Pat also spent several years traveling back and forth to Minneapolis while she worked there, and treasured time together at the family cabin in northwestern Minnesota near Park Rapids and Itasca State Park.
Above all, Steve was a man who showed up for his family -- always willing to lend a hand, offer support, or simply be there for whatever they needed. He also had a soft spot for animals over the years, including snuggling up with his grand-puppies, Luna and Shelby.
Steve is survived by his wife, Pat Vickerman, of Tracy; his three children, Jason (Christy) Vickerman, Jessica (Greg) TeBrake, and Kari (Nick) Taintor; his six grandchildren, Anna Vickerman, Caitlin and Colton Wiley, Eli and Lexie Taintor, and Margo TeBrake; his brother, Kent (Julie) Vickerman; his sisters, Karen (Steve) Halter and Jill (Pat) Jopp; brother-in-law Tim Weinzetl; and sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Connie (Chuck) Hayes and Chris (Marvin) Michelson. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Wava Vickerman; his brother, Scott Vickerman; and his sister, Peggy Weinzetl.