Bernard J. Tucker

Bernie was one of those people you didn't easily forget. He was funny, honest, kind-hearted, resilient, easygoing, and always ready to talk to someone. He could strike up a conversation just about anywhere, and even people who only knew him for a short time often remembered him.

Bernie spent his early childhood in Ohio with his loving parents, Irene and Jack, and his brother, Floyd. The boys spent a lot of time at their grandparents' farm doing what Bernie would probably have described simple as "boy things." When Bernie was 14, the family moved to Glendale, Arizona.

At 19, Bernie volunteered to serve in the United States Army. He served for three years and was a paratrooper in Vietnam. That willingness to take a leap--sometime quite literally--was part of who Bernie was throughout his life.

After returning from Vietnam, Bernie married and welcomed his first daughter, Dawn. His second marriage brought three more daughters into this life: Tamera, Cheyenne, and Willow. His daughters, son-in-laws (Leroy and Tino) and later his grandchildren (Lexi, Hayley, Chance, Riley, and Collins) were his true pride and joy.

Bernie worked for many years as a pipefitter and welder with Local Union 469 before eventually retiring.

He also loved adventure. Bernie loved jumping out of airplanes, riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and spending time on the road. His brother Floyd was an important person throughout his life, and the two shared many memories riding their Harleys together. Floyd remained by his side all the way through Bernie's final days.

Bernie had a great sense of humor, and anyone who knew him know that sooner or later an old limerick, joke, or saying was going to come out. He had quite a collection of these, and he loved getting a laugh. He could talk to anyone, anywhere, and had a way of making people feel like they had known him longer than they actually had.

He loved his dogs, too. Over the years, they were a big part of his life, especially Boy, his constant companion during his final years.

There was also something very fitting about the way bernie's life came full circle. Later in life, he moved back into the Glendale home where he has lived as a teenager so he could care for his mother, irene. Years later, that same home became the place where he spent his final years.

Toward the end of his life, his daughters Tamera and Cheyenne moved in to care for him. Bernie loved having them there. His other two daughters, Dawn and Willow, lived farther away but came to visit often and remained an important part of his life. His final days were extremely peaceful, surrounded by his brother, Floyd, and his family, as well as his four daughters and their own families.

Bernie lived life with plenty of stories in it--Vietnam, parachuting, motorcycles, welding, dogs, family, and probably more than a few stories that shouldn't be repeated in an obituary.

He will be deeply missed, endlessly talked about, and lovingly remembered.

And no remembrance of Bernie would be complete without one of his favorite limericks:

"When the summer's hot and sticky,

Isn't time for dunkin' dicky.

But when the dew is on the pumpkin,

That time for dicky dunkin'."