Thomas Tucker Passes Away

 
   Thomas (Tom/Tommy) H. Tucker died September 1 from ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's disease, at his home surrounded by his wife and family, less than a year since diagnosis.
    He was a lifetime resident of Birdsville, excluding college and Army years, and several preschool years during which time he lived with relatives while his mother was confined to a tuberculosis sanatorium in Baltimore. He was born to the late Anne Elizabeth and Richard Ballard Tucker on November 12, 1934. He attended Owensville Elementary and Southern Jr/Sr High School in Lothian, graduating in 1953. He attended Towson State Teachers College under a full four year scholarship from the South Anne Arundel Lions Club, staying only one year before volunteering for the draft.
    He was inducted into the Army in November 1954 where he attained the rank of communications chief SP3. Upon his discharge in November of 1956 he hitchhiked home from Ft. Hood, TX saving his mustering out pay to buy a 1956 Ford Thunderbird convertible a lifetime keepsake. After an interim as a Greenspring home delivery milkman, heavy equipment operator for Reliable Construction, and slot machine mechanic at Triton and Beverly Beaches he attended the University of Maryland at College Park, where he was a member of the wrestling team and served as a resident assistant while majoring in Accounting.
    Upon graduation in 1961 he was employed by the IRS as a field auditor. Subsequently he worked for the local Allan Reiter accounting firm, the Naval Audit Service, the Secretary of the Navy's financial staff, and ultimately as Director of Internal Review of a special Navy group. He retired in 1997 but continued to share his accounting knowledge by advising friends and family in the preparation of their Federal and State income tax returns.
     Tom was a lifetime member of Davidsonville United Methodist Church where he served as Chair of the Board of Trustees and on many other committees over the years as well as singing with the choir and teaching Sunday school. He especially liked participating in the Appalachian Service Project trips with the youth to help those in need. He served on the Board of Directors of Owensville Primary Care, a local clinic. He was a past president and treasurer of the South Anne Arundel Lions Club which presented him with the Lions International Foundation Melvin Jones Fellow award. Tom was also a member of the Annapolis Elks Club and the Galesville Heritage Society where he served as president and on the Board of Directors, and was also a docent at the GHS museum. He was president of the PTA at his daughters' school. He was a charter member of CEPA and the Harwood Civic Association. After retirement he volunteered with Meals on Wheels. Along with his wife he was also a member of the Pleasant Journey chapter of the M.I. Hummel collector's club. Hobbies included building and repairing things, reading, collecting books, collecting antique farm and carpentry hand tools, gardening, photography, and traveling. Until he joined the U.S. Army he had never been out of the state of Maryland, therefore he enjoyed expanding his horizons by traveling around the USA including Hawaii, as well as Mexico and Canada in conjunction with Newfoundland and Labrador, and overseas to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Poland, Ireland, Norway, Japan, Tibet and China where he celebrated his 70th birthday on the Great Wall.
   Tom is survived by his beloved wife Christine S. Tucker, whom he met through his fraternity Phi Delta Theta at UMD and married on September 30, 1961. He is also survived by his three daughters, Kirsten Tucker Kopiczak (Stan), Katrina Tucker, and Karin Tucker Hill (Michael); five grandchildren, Kristopher, Sabryna and Steven Kopiczak, Sasha and Trevor Hill; as well as other numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
     The family will receive visitors between 2 to 4 p.m. and again from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, September 6, at Hardesty Funeral Home, 12 Ridgely Ave., Annapolis. There will be a visitation at 10 a.m., until the service begins at 11 a.m., on Saturday, September 7. at Davidsonville United Methodist Church, 819 West Central Ave., Davidsonville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to South Anne Arundel Lions Club, P.O. Box 95, Galesville, MD 20765 or Davidsonville United Methodist Church. Online condolences can be made at www.hardestyfuneralhome.com