William Byrd Tucker, 89, passed away on January 4, 2021. Byrd was born on September 3, 1931, in Hatton, Alabama. He lived 89 healthy years and passed peacefully in Duluth, Georgia. It was very unexpected – family and friends had spoken and laughed on the phone with him even the night before. We were taken by surprise and of course are very sad to not have him with us anymore, but we are rejoicing that Dad has seen the face of Jesus and is basking in all His Glory. We know that Mom has already run into his arms and they are both happy and in peace. We can see Dad’s big eyebrows twitching as he can’t contain his big smile. He has seen all his brothers and sisters, and enjoyed a great reunion with family and friends already there.
Byrd Tucker was a rare individual, successful at everything he did. He was a natural athlete and gifted in all sports, a genius in orbital guidance equations, aerospace, and advanced engineering mathematics. He was a rock for the gospel and for Christ’s church here on earth, a loving husband, a doting and proud father and grandfather. Over the years, he helped establish and strengthen various churches wherever he lived, in North Alabama for many decades and later in the Atlanta area where he lived since 2008. Dad had a deep love and vast knowledge of the Bible, and great passion for teaching it, and its application in our lives, even leading men in groups and relationships until the end. He was a true model of how to be a good man… gentle and loving, humble, yet hard working and disciplined.
Byrd’s parents were the late William Riley Tucker and Martha Jane Crider Tucker. He grew up in the small town of Jones Chapel, Alabama, picking cotton in his early years alongside his mom and siblings. Education was extremely important to and valued by Byrd. He felt God miraculously intervened in his life to help him attend college, the only child to do so in his family. Dad was always proud he graduated from Jacksonville State University. He maintained membership in their alumni “J Club” and kept his yearbook in his MVP stack, right along with his NASA documents. In 1955, Byrd was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Ordnance Corps and had a brief tour of active duty.
He spent 52 years serving his country from 1956 through 2008 working initially at Redstone Arsenal as a Civil servant, and later as contractor and consultant even into his 70’s. During his career he served in many capacities, everything from an Orbital Flight Guidance Analyst, a Manager of Mission Design and Orbital Guidance System Development, a Guidance Theory Development expert, to an Aerospace Engineering Consultant. We have been blessed through the years with his stories from the early days of NASA and the exciting work supporting the APOLLO missions, and the early stages of anti-ballistic missile defense design and development including the Patriot simulation which is still used today.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Barbara Johnson Tucker. He is survived by their four children, Steve “Bodie” Tucker of Duluth, GA; Pam Nutsugah (Philip “Kofi”) of Atlanta, GA; Chris Tucker (Terri) of Huntsville, AL; and Matt Tucker (Chresta) of Huntsville, AL; 10 grandchildren; many brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, and others he loved very much. Spending time with any of these people was Dad’s principal joy in his senior years.
Now that his good life in this world is complete, we will all miss his presence, but his influence will stay with us and he will forever live in our memories until we meet again.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, 09 January from 11:00 – 1:00 pm at Laughlin Service Funeral Home with a funeral service at 1:00 pm. Burial will follow at 2:00 pm at Huntsville Memory Gardens. The service will be live streamed. Viewing is available by clicking on “Tribute Wall”.
