Obituary of Robert A. Tucker

Robert A. (Bob) Tucker went home to be with the Lord on Friday, January 2, 2015, at Burke Health & Rehab Center. Mr. Tucker was born March 20, 1926 in Centerville, Iowa, son of the late Cephas and Bertha (Day) Tucker. He was retired from the Food & Drug Administration since 1992, after 30 years of service. He was then employed by the FDA Archival Records Department for 20 years, from 1994-2014. After graduating from West Denver High School in Colorado, he served in the U.S. Navy at Farragut Naval Station in Idaho. In 1951, he graduated from University of Denver with a BS degree in Public Health. He started his career with the Indiana State Board of Health in Indianapolis as a Food & Drug Inspector. On June 26, 1954 he married Evelyn D. Wilde in Bristol, CT. Their first child, Janice, was born in 1955. Bob started work in Fort Wayne & then transferred to the regional office at LaPorte, IN in 1958 where he continued to work as a Food & Drug Inspector. Later in 1958, he transferred to the Central Office of the ISBH in Indianapolis and became Chief of the Hazardous Products Section. He was instrumental in the formation & implementation of safety standards for preventing poisonings, especially in young children. His family grew when their second child, Bob, was born in 1961. In 1962, the family moved to Springfield, VA when Bob joined the Federal FDA, working as a staff member in the Division of Legislative Affairs in Rockville, MD. Later that year, he transferred to the Federal-State Relations Department within the Federal FDA & continued to serve there until his 1992 retirement. Within two years, he chose to continue work with the FDA in the Archival Department, and worked for another 20 years, retiring in 2014. He enjoyed traveling, interviewing former FDA staff, & preparing final documents that were eventually included in the FDA Archives at NIH. Bob always enjoyed working outdoors in the yard, and also loved to take mini-vacations to the Shenandoah mountains to hike with Evie & his son Bob. He also loved dogs. As the only child raised on a remote sheep ranch in Reddig, SD, his little dog Cuffy was a much loved companion. In the early 2000’s, he & Evie relished taking their German Shepard, Lady, to the park. He liked to read, enjoy being with family & friends, follow the political scene & volunteer. Over the years, he helped with ECHO, served as a Registar at his local voting precinct, was active in the Boy Scouts, & was a board member with the Fairfax/Falls Church Comunity Service Board for Mental Health. He was an early member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church when it was still a mission church meeting in a school. He served POP as a Treasurer in those early years, & in other roles. He was a Sunday School teacher, an Elder, helped with site preparation when the Fellowship Hall was being built, & helped clear trees in 1980 for the new sanctuary. Surviving are his wife Evelyn (Wilde) Tucker of Springfield, VA, daughter, Janice (Tucker) Cartwright & her husband Shelton, Jr. of Charlottesville, VA, & son, Bob John Tucker of Annandale, VA. He leaves behind three adult grandchildren, Ben Cartwright of Charlottesville, VA, Andrew Cartwright & his wife Cori, of Charlottesville, VA, & Wanda (Cartwright) Mills & her husband, Austin, of Apex, NC. Bob also has three great-grandchildren, Claire, age 5, Logan, age 4, & Julia, age 16 months, children of Andrew & Cori Cartwright. A Memorial Service will be held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Monday, January 12 at 10:00AM. In lieu of flowers, Bob requested that donations in his memory be given to a Prince of Peace Memorial Fund, which will be set up in his name. Memorial donations may be sent to: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 8304 Old Keene Mill Rd., Springfield, VA, 22152, or Dogs for the Blind. Their website is: www.guidedogs.com. The address is: Dogs for the Blind, Donation Department, P.O. Box 3950, San Rafael, CA 94912-3950. Memorial donations can be made online at: [email protected]