Edward Sporl Tucker

Well, he's finally had enough! Ed Tucker, certainly the fittest old man in Essex has finally said, "I'm finished!" After so many flat bike tires, smelly running shoes, and stretched out Speedos, he crossed his final finish line on March 7, 2025. From his birth in Racine, Wisconsin to his journey's end in Essex, Connecticut, Ed lived, worked and competed all over the world. He was a leader within his community, in fitness, and at setting up his life to reflect his values and love of his family. ET lost his father at a young age. This prompted a move to the family roots of New Orleans, then relocation to the San Francisco Bay Area in Marin County. Young Edward was always able "to walk with kings nor lose the common touch." In high school he was a star mathematics student with a pocket protector and a slide rule while spending many afternoons building hot rods with the hoods of the town. Finishing his studies at Stanford University, he followed the family tradition - New Orleans and medicine. Four years of medical school distinguished him from his ancestor, the founder of Dr. Tucker's Traveling Patent Medicines who traveled the South selling his cure-all from a mule-drawn wagon. During the Vietnam conflict, young Ed Tucker was offered a choice of medical evacuation in a Huey or riding atomic submarines in the North Atlantic. This man was no one's fool! Off to Groton, Connecticut he went. Eddie just didn't ride around in submarines. Sometimes he went outside the submarine - deep down in the sea, with a big brass helmet and oxygen piped to him through a tube (yikes!). He even trained Navy Seals to do this (crazy!) After this, SCUBA diving with his son Ted was just recreation, chasing Tommy Tuna. Ed fell in love with New England and never really left. He finished his Psychiatry and Neurology Fellowships at Yale, found a small office with a big roll-top desk on North Main street in Essex, and settled in for the next 47 years. He'd found his passion and his place.

Dr Tucker's love of medicine coupled with his kind nature, intelligence and good sense of humor made healing patients interesting and fulfilling. He'd comment that psychiatry was the foundation for his successful treatment of patients, but his tremendous emotional intelligence was equally important. Ed treated over 12,000 patients, not including the many "sidewalk consults" that his friends and neighbors sought on many an afternoon encounter. He loved those. Meanwhile, Eddie had a lot of living to do.

It all started with tennis. He was New England ranked. In order to stay tennis fit he started to run. Well, if you can run a few miles, of course, you can run a marathon! How about 11, and 3 Boston marathon finishes? With all this fitness it might be nice to bike a little, or a lot. And when he realized that he could add in swimming - BOOM! All this swimming after sharks, biking all over New England and running marathons produced a very fit individual, (some would think a little nuts, too) and there is a sport for them too! Ed Tucker founded the Tiny Tri in Chester, CT., finished his first Ironman Kona in 1984, was one of the top 10 in USAT National Championships, competed for Team USA in multiple World Championships plus tens of local, national and international triathlons. When he wasn't competing, he worked the Ironman medical tent, Team USAT medical, and wrenched for his wife and training buddy, Jeanne Yvonne.

In 2000, the decision was made to educate their son, Ike, in France. What? For the next 10 years Dr Tucker commuted between Essex and a small rural village, Mezel, France. As usual, ET took the challenge to heart. He embraced his newfound international life by packing his small family, dog, 3 bikes and gear into a RAV4 to explore, race and XC ski all corners of the European continent. In 2009 the family decided to return to the USA but not quite all the way back to Essex. Ed was most content to now have only a 4 hour commute as his family was now living in Northern Vermont! Within a few years everyone was reunited in Essex . ET's commute was now 30 seconds as he now lived above his office! Well, he'd earned it. His daily descents were accompanied by his new faithful assistant, Portuguese Water dog, Louis XIV, which became a problem as Dr Tucker could never be quite sure if patients came to see him or Louis XIV. In 2017 the Veterans Administration began sending Veterans to Dr Tucker to be examined for Traumatic Brain Injuries. Treating a Veteran by a Veteran becomes one of the most rewarding and fulfilling periods of Dr Tucker's professional career. Such a fitting end to a remarkable and well lived life.

There are lucky people but the luckiest are those few who know who they are. Hello, Eddy!