I. L. Tommy Tucker Obituary (1927 - 2014)

To view pictures of Tommy click on Photo Gallery. Irvin Lee "Tommy" Tucker, 87, of SaddleBrooke, AZ passed away August 2, 2014. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, LaVerne; children: Marcia (Chester) Crawley, Terry Tucker and Robin (Carole) Tucker; granddaughters: Jennifer, Cheryl, Eileen and Julie; and sister-in-law Joan (David) Paulsrud. Tommy was born in Council Bluffs, IA on May 9, 1927. He and his parents, I.L. "Irv" and Iva Mae Tucker, quickly relocated to Cedar Rapids, where he was raised and lived the majority of his life. In his youth he spent time up at Lake Delhi, where his father started a business. In southwest Cedar Rapids, near the old Hayes school neighborhood, he went to elementary school and learned from the rich Czech heritage and language near by. He later moved across the river to the east side of Cedar Rapids to attend junior and senior high at McKinley. Living in Wellington Heights, a family "juke box" brought a lot of joy. He also ran track and was a cheerleader. He graduated from McKinley High, then entered the U.S Navy ahead of the end of WWII in the Pacific. From his dad's bottle gas business, he got his start at a young age at work. He had a strong work ethic throughout his life. After the Navy, he attended Coe College, where he met LaVerne Swanson. He was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, while at Coe. Tommy and LaVerne were married in Cedar Rapids on January 9, 1949. He sang at his own wedding. His mother had him take voice lessons in his youth. He worked with his father in business, including Tucker Mfg. Co., Inc. from 1945 to his father's death in 1975. During this time, Tommy began his own business and became a private pilot. Tommy took the High-Level Window Washer business into the era of "spot free" water. The product was coined the "Tucker Pole" during his career at Tucker. All three of Tommy's children worked in the family business at one time or another. Today, a fourth generation has been a part of Tucker. In 1955, Tommy entered the real estate industry on his own. He began Tommy Tucker Realty Co. in 1958. He acquired a property management division in 1969. He became very active at the local, State and National levels of the industry, throughout his career. He served as local Cedar Rapids board president(1961), IAR president(1968), as well as a national regional vice president for NAR. He was recognized as a local "REALTOR of the Year" and received the highest status as a REALTOR-Emeritus. He was an inaugural Commissioner, serving 32 years from 1963-1995, on the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission. He was quoted by the Cedar Rapids Gazette in 1992 as saying "I had led a rather, I suppose, sheltered life and yet I attended and went all through McKinley. And I didn't give a second thought to the fact that some of my friends had a different colored skin than I. In fact, I guess I would credit McKinley with helping to develop my cultural views and social views to respect various nationality groups." He loved to travel with family, his wife and for work. He enjoyed Hawkeyes sports, especially football, men's basketball and wrestling. He attended three Rose Bowls, an Orange and a Peach over his season ticket days as a Hawkeye fan. He later enjoyed watching former Hawkeye Mike Stoops lead the Arizona Wildcats, while in Tucson. For decades, he made "Hill Visits" on behalf of the REALTORS to Des Moines and Washington D.C. He was very fond of the Congressional Bean Soup that he was privileged to enjoy with Iowa legislative members, such as Chuck Grassley and Jim Leach. He was a recipient of The O.G. "Bill" Powell Award presented for meritorious service to the Real Estate Industry (1986) by the Iowa Association of REALTORS. He also help establish the real estate department at the University of Northern Iowa. After his father's death, he traveled throughout North America, parts of Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East on behalf of Tucker. He took time to travel with family and his wife over the years, including Hawaii, Alaska, Paris and Rome. He lived the Rotary motto "service above self" and he was quoted by The Gazette in 1992 with the following: "Each and every one of us have you might say, an amount of civic rent you have to pay. And you tend to pay that which you're closest to or you feel you may be more able to do than someone else." Tommy was a good mentor, father and husband. Always there to help a REALTOR or someone interested in public service. He served as Linn County, IA GOP Chair from 1961 to 1964. He enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of both the Iowa and Arizona political scene. He joined the Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids in 1964 and enjoyed a relationship for fifty years. The Club celebrated 100 years in 2014. Tom's 50th anniversary month. He served on various boards and non-profits, while working in Cedar Rapids. Tommy continued his service in Tucson in political affairs, attending a National Convention as an alternate delegate and serving the Pinal County, AZ GOP, as chair, in 2008. At his death, he was active in the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke, Junior Achievement, his church and served on the Greater Catalina Council. A Celebration of Life will be held 1:00 pm, August 16, 2014 at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Cedar Rapids, IA. A Celebration of Life in Tucson will be held 2:00 pm, Saturday September 6, 2014 at Vista de la Montana United Methodist Church. Memorial donations in Tommy's name may be made to Vista de la Montana United Methodist Church, 3001 Miravista Lane, Tucson, Arizona 85739 or to the Rotary Foundation, www.rotary.org