Thomas Taylor Tucker, age 92, of Broken Arrow, OK died peacefully in his sleep on November 28, 2022. He was born July 29, 1930, in Madrid, Spain to Lyman Booth Tucker and Doris Gertrude (Taylor) Tucker.
When he was 6 months old, the family moved to Bucharest, Romania where they stayed until 1939. They moved back to the states as war was breaking out. During his early years in Europe, Tom and his sisters, Jean and June, were cared for by nannies and attended private schools. Tom sat in his first airplane at the age of six and began a lifelong love of airplanes and the aerospace industry. After a short time in Connecticut, the family settled in Summit, NJ.
Tom attended The Pingry School in Elizabeth, NJ, graduating in 1949. He received a BA in Political Science from The Citadel in 1953 graduating as an officer ready for military service. Tom served in the infantry of the US Army for two years and in the reserves for another nine years. He made the first entry in his Pilots Logbook as a student pilot on July 5, 1955 and enjoyed flying small aircraft whenever possible. For many years he was an officer in a Civil Air Patrol squadron, both in New York and Oklahoma, and this provided opportunities to fly. The Walter Kidde Company was his first employer followed by Shell Oil Company. His airline career began at Pan American Airways, in NYC, and later he worked at American Airlines who transferred him to Tulsa, OK.
It was at Calvary Episcopal Church, Summit, NJ that Tom met Anne Thornton, the love of his life. The couple was married there on May 11, 1957. Their family started with James in NJ and then Kimberly and Christopher were born in Roslyn Heights, NY. Their fourth child Peter was born after moving to Peekskill, NY. Their final move was to Broken Arrow, OK where they enjoyed another lifetime of wonderful friendships.
Tom was always ready to strike up a conversation and he truly enjoyed meeting new folks and finding out about their lives. As an active member of Toastmasters Tom honed his speaking skills for many years.
What he enjoyed the most was visiting with family and friends. Tom looked forward to celebrations where he could spend time with his children and his grandchildren. He was absolutely amazed that he had great grandchildren! He and Anne loved to travel to and always enjoyed time with folks they didn’t see often. A soft spoken kind hearted soul, Tom will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, his grandson Adam Tucker, and his great granddaughter Molly Mae Tucker. He is survived by his children James (& Jaci) Tucker, Kim (& Mitch) Murtola, Chris (& Rallyn) Tucker, Peter (& Tricia) Tucker, as well as 8 grandchildren Amy Hoeffel, Reba Tucker, Betsy Murtola, Neil, Lauren, Jackson, Frances, & Olive Tucker and 2 great grandchildren: McKinley & Briar Tucker.
Service will be Sat. Jan. 14 at 1 pm at St Dunstan’s Episcopal Church 5635 E 71st St, Tulsa, OK 74136
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association, Disabled American Veterans, or your local animal shelter.
Posted in: Tulsa World
Posted on: 2023-01-09
Link to original obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tulsaworld/name/thomas-tucker-obituary?id=38595408