Richard Wentworth Tucker

It is with great sadness that the family of Richard (Dick) Wentworth Tucker announces his death from metastatic cancer on April 14, 2024, at age 97. Sharp until the end, and with an amazing memory, he could still tell you the exact date in 1948 when he was introduced to Edith (Edee) Jane Lacey (now Tucker), the love of his life and wife of 73 years.

Dick was devoted to Edee and their family. In addition to Edee, he is survived by his three daughters and sons-in-law: Sue Tucker (Vern Paulsen) of Houston, Texas, N. Alison Tucker (Joe DiBernardo) of Walnut Creek, California, and Lauren Stockwell (Terry) of Edgecomb, Maine; four grandchildren: Ben Stockwell (Carolyn), Amanda Stockwell (Rob Call) and Stephen and Lisa Paulsen; two great-grandchildren:  James and Hannah Stockwell; his late sister’s three daughters and their families; and a niece and nephew on Edee’s side. Outgoing and friendly, he is also survived by friends (and he outlived many other friends over the years).

Born in East Orange, New Jersey, on March 18, 1927, Dick spent much of his youth in Garden City, New York. At age 17, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt’s declaration of war, he enlisted in the Navy. Following basic training at age 18, he volunteered for the then top-secret Underwater Demolition Team, precursor to the Navy Seals. Thankfully, the war ended before his unit was sent to Japan, where high casualties were expected.

After the war he pursued a successful career in sales, marketing, and advertising, including as executive vice president of two advertising agencies in New York City. Following several job-related moves early in his career, he settled his family in Wilton, Connecticut. He later made one final job-related move to Illinois with Edee. After retirement, he and Edee lived in Maine for 15 years, where, among other things, they enjoyed spending time with Ben and Amanda, their two grandchildren who lived nearby, cheering them on at their many activities. They also enjoyed their Texas grandchildren, Steve, and Lisa, whenever they could.

In 2010, tired of shoveling snow, they moved to a house in Fearrington Village, Pittsboro, North Carolina. They stayed there until December 2022, when they moved less than two miles away to an apartment at Galloway Ridge.

Over the years, Dick excelled at several hobbies. He meticulously built a number of ship models. He was a proficient sailor who loved being on the water, and he also enjoyed playing golf. In his late forties, he took up watercolor. Just two years later, one of his paintings was accepted into a competitive juried exhibition. Most recently, a number of his watercolors were displayed at Galloway Ridge.

He also delved deeply into genealogy. Much of his research was done prior to the internet, with sleuthing done by letter-writing, phone calls, and reviewing microfiches at public offices. He traced ancestors in the U.S. all the way back to the early 1600s. He discovered that the first Tucker on this continent had lived on one of the rocky Isles of Shoals, a fishing community about six miles off the coast of what is now New Hampshire. Dick would like his ashes to be scattered in the Atlantic Ocean off New England, preferably near where his ancestral roots were planted.

No services are currently planned. In lieu of flowers, any memorial donations may be made to corafoodpantry.org or a nonprofit of your choice.

Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the Tucker Family.