Don Ed Tucker walked through the gates of heaven on April 16, 2026. After five years living life in a wheelchair, he is finally walking again. He was born December 28, 1947 to Kathleen and Berlie Tucker of Heiberger, Alabama.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carol Stone Tucker; his daughter Katie (Charles) Crommelin; and grandsons Charles Laurence Crommelin IV, Richard Gunter Crommelin IV, and Henry Tucker Crommelin. He is also survived by his sister Beatrice Tucker Rowland, nephews Trey Myers and Paul Myers, and nieces Cathy Brown, Haley Myers, Gena Chaucer, Kenley Ritter, and Maegan Bearden.
He is a graduate of Francis Marion High School and attended Marion Military Institute. He moved to Birmingham in early 1969 to start his career with South Central Bell, where he remained until his retirement. He obtained his pilot’s license in the early 1970s and loved to fly until his health prohibited him from doing so.
He enjoyed weekends on Lake Jordan with close friends. He also loved to hunt, fish, and farm, and found the best way to think through any issue was time on a bushhog. He resided in Gardendale, but a piece of his heart was always in Perry County. He loved life and lived big, and he will be dearly missed by those who knew and loved him.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Gardendale First Baptist Church Mission Fund, 940 Main St, Gardendale 35071 (https://www.gfbc.com/) or Just Keep Smiling, 999 Mount Olive Rd, Gardendale, 35071 (https://www.justkeepsmiling.org/).
The family received friends on Monday, April 20, 2026, from 12:30pm to 2pm at Gardendale Heritage Funeral Home, where the funeral service began at 2pm. Interment followed in Oakwood Memorial Gardens. Those serving as pallbearers were Charles, Richard, and Henry Crommelin, Trey Myers, Dusten Green, and Christopher Smithson.
