Death of Our Grandfather

    That moment when your heart seems to be pulled from your chest - taking the breath out of your lungs - is replaced with a shock that casts doubt on the soundness of your hearing and robs your eyes of tears. That was how I’d describe myself when I learned on Tuesday morning that my Grandpa, Frank Tucker, had quietly passed away in his sleep the night before.
I and many others have been blessed to have had this man in our lives. He’s always been there for my     Mom and I for the last 22 years - which makes having to come to the realization that he’ll no longer be stopping by for a visit and calling or [in the last few years] FB messaging to check in on us - all the more difficult.
    God had been merciful in allowing my Grandpa to see all of his children become fathers and mothers on their own and to have been given the health to meet and spend time with his -now- eleven grandchildren of whom he was always so proud. I wish that he’d been given more time - that he could’ve even met my children someday - but the Lord had numbered his days and peacefully let him fall into a sleep from which he would never wake.
    I’m thankful for the memories we were able to make together (and capture in photos) and I will always appreciate the contributions he made in the lives of my extraordinary mom (Lisa) and incredible uncles/aunts who have been so supportive of one another through this time.
    Your memory is etched in my mind as your love has been impressed upon my heart.
-Andrew

Franklin R. Tucker 

4/9/47 - 3/15/16

Photo w/Grandpa

Grandpa’s 67th Birthday

April 12, 2014 – We celebrated my Grandpa’s 67th birthday with family at a park.  This birthday was extra special because my Grandpa had a double by pass surgery on his heart just a few weeks before.

Our cousin Charlie

Uncle Jeremy and our cousin, Isaiah

Tucker, Chester & Popeye

This morning we headed to a Tucker family reunion in Chester, IL.  It was great to meet family we'd never seen before and we had a great time talking about military experiences, genealogy and world travels.  However, the best part may have been the fundraising auction by our most entertaining auctioneer .

 

Will anyone give me $4.25?           –          Showing the wares   

 

Chester is the home of Popeye, so we stopped with our Grandpa at the visitor’s center.

The bridge in Chester spans across the mighty Mississippi river

Family Resemblances

I thought these family resemblances were worth posting:

Father…

…and son.

Grandson…and grandfather at the same age.

  I wish we had some pictures of my dad when he was a teen, because Benjamin resemblances him probably more than Noah or I do.

Tractor Pull-Video

A few weeks ago we went to a tractor pull in Jersey County, IL with our Grandpa.  It was the first time we’d ever seen a tractor pull, so it was very interesting to experience something so new and different!

 

 

Father’s Day/Wedding Anniversary

  Today would’ve been my parent’s 23rd Wedding Anniversary and tomorrow will be Father’s day, so I thought this would be a good time to take some time and remember the times my Dad and I did have together before he died August ‘10.

  Even if my parent’s marriage wasn’t ideal it was an enormous blessing that divorce was never an option.  This really hits home when I look all around and see marriages falling apart and children being caught in the cross fire…it’s amazing that half of kids will be placed in this situation.

   

I can also see how through the years God brought men into my and my brothers’ lives and I’m very thankful to the men through the years who have taken time out of their day to be with three young men/boys.

It was hard not to live with a paternal influence in the house, but my Mother was very deliberate about letting us be boys, promoting our interest in masculine activities and teaching us how to shake a man’s hand.

Just very thankful for how God has worked through others in my life and He certainly is “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows…”  -Psalm 68:5