Tad Prevette Jr.

Edward Harrison “Tad” Prevette, Jr. passed away January 16, 2019, at the age of 58. Tad was born on November 29, 1960, in Tampa, FL, to Edward Harrison Prevette, Sr. and Marlene Alice Manaton Prevette. He grew up in Tampa, FL, and lived from 1961-1963 in Nassau, Bahamas. On June 1, 1979, Tad enlisted in the Air Force. When he was stationed in Tucson, AZ, Tad met the love of his life, Kaye Ellen Delp. They were married on January 23, 1982, and blessed a year later with their son, Edward Harrison “T.J.” Prevette III.
Tad traveled the world with the Air Force, stationed in Europe, Korea, and Southeast Asia. He was actively deployed during Desert Storm and Desert Shield in the 1990s. He began his military service as a mechanic and finished in security forces. Tad was stationed at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, TX, to help decommission the base. He loved his time in the Air Force and retired from military service in 1995.
For Tad’s second career, he worked for the City of Grapevine starting in the mechanic shop, then later in traffic management. Tad became the preferred mechanic of the motorcycle patrol officers, which created a lasting friendship with the Grapevine Police Department. On November 28, 2011, Tad retired from the City of Grapevine so he could say he retired at age 50 (the next day he turned 51).
In retirement, Tad pursued his passion for cars and all things motorsports. He loved fast cars—he raced street cars in Tucson when he was young, then later ran hotrods on dirt tracks in Boyd and Kennedale, TX. Over the years, Tad bought junker cars, fixed them up and sold some of them. He still has a myriad of vehicles, from a ’63 Ferrari body, to a BMW with lost keys, to a school bus. He owned numerous Corvettes so it was fortuitous to be friends with traffic patrol officers.
Later in life, Tad was reacquainted with Marcia Allen, whom he had known for 20 years during his festival support duties at the City of Grapevine. Tad and Marcia hit it off immediately, and after a whirlwind romance they were married on June 14, 2018, in a private ceremony in Azle, TX.
Known as Papa to his grandkids, Tad had a reputation for pushing the limit, using the shock value, stealthy pranks and surprises in any form. Tad was an animal lover. He loved his feral cats, Max the Junkyard Dog, Precious the prissy Pekinese, and Marcia’s dogs, Bentley and Johnny. When Tad became ill, Bentley appointed himself as the sentry and never left his side.
Tad was a member of the Grapevine Elks Lodge, where he enjoyed friends and fellowship. He was especially proud of the charity work the Elks perform for military veterans.
Tad was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents and his wife, Kaye Ellen Delp Prevette.
Tad is survived by his loving wife, Marcia Allen, of Grapevine, TX; son, TJ Prevette and wife, Sarah, of Wichita Falls, TX; sister, Vanessa Folsom, of Geneva, AL; brother, Bruce Pierce, of Long Branch, NJ; grandsons, Kade Harrison (4) and Luke Edward (1) Prevette. He is also survived by his special in-laws, Ken and Norma Delp of Tempe, AZ; John and Verna Delp of Tucson, AZ; Jayne and Rockey Krumbholz of Prescott, AZ; and all their children and grandchildren. His very special niece, Laura Benton, was at his bedside when he passed away.

Tad was kind, loving, protective, and funny to a fault; his friends and family also describe him as “The Instigator Extraordinaire”. Michael Armstrong said, “Tad was a seriously good dude with a bullwhip sense of humor and a heart the size of Texas”.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Grapevine Elks Charities, PO Box 1923, Grapevine, TX 76099.

Visitation will be Monday, January 21, 2019 from 6-8 pm at Lucas Funeral Home Grapevine.
Funeral Services will be Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 10:00 am at Grapevine United Methodist Church.
Committal Services will be Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 1:15 pm at Dallas/Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas.