William Burdette Tucker

William B. Tucker, 87, entered Heaven’s glory on the 31st day of August, 2021, after a long battle with heart failure.

Visitation will be at Christy-Smith Funeral Homes, Morningside Chapel, 1801 Morningside Avenue, Sioux City, on Saturday, September 4, 2021, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. A funeral will be on Sunday, September 5, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. at Morningside Baptist Church, under the direction of Pastor Fred Penner. Interment will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, at 2:00 p.m.

He was born in Alliance, Nebraska, on March 1, 1934, the son of Hugh and Irene Tucker. He attended public schools in central Nebraska and as a teenager moved to Muskegon County, Michigan. He graduated with a B.S. in Theology from Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana, and then pastored Free Methodist Churches in Elkhart, Indiana and Henning, Illinois, for eight years. Later he acquired his teaching certificate through Western Michigan University and his M.A. in Education through Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He pioneered male-kindergarten teaching in the Holton Public School (Michigan) from 1967 to 1977, followed by teaching at the Emerson-Hubbard Public School (Nebraska) from 1977 until retirement in 1966. Following his retirement, he pastored the Climbing Hill Nazarene Church (Iowa) for three years. He was a freelance writer and self-published dozens of small religious, as well as humorous, books. He was the director of Siouxland Christian Writers from 1992 to 1998.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; one son, Nathan (fiancée Lisa) Tucker of Sioux City, Iowa; four daughters, Rachel (Doug) Hamsher of Ohio, Suzetta Tucker, Karolyn Flowers, and Sally Addison of Michigan; two esteemed step-children, Don (Terri) Nelson and Nancy Schaffer of Michigan; and two sisters, Delores Davenport and Darlene (Paul) Sabatino of Michigan. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Sara, Danny, Kayla, Robert, and Matthew; five great-grandchildren, Gryphon, Ryannah, Elliannah, William, and Lorraine.

He was preceded in death by his father, Hugh W.; mother, Irene; two brothers, Dennis and Raydene; two sisters, Marylu Pontius and Karen Legge; son, William Jr.; grandson, William III.