Sheila B. Tucker, 76, of Vero Beach, passed away on July 31, 2014.
She is survived by her children, Marian Whitney Payson, Parker Laurence Payson, Bryan Ridgely Tucker; cousin Edith Scott Bouriez; daughters-in-law Helen Paris Wiley and Mary Anne Williams; brother-in-law Bruce B. Woodger; grandchildren Samuel Mason Wiley, Richard Skiddy Payson, Eleanor Jie Strader Payson, Luke Austin Tucker, Jacob Henry Williams, and Noah Tyler Williams; and eight nieces and nephews, including Whitney Burr Lake. She is also survived by her unfailing feline companion, Tinkerbell.
She was predeceased by her husband Harry King Tucker, Jr., her sister Cynthia Lake Woodger, her brother H. Ridgely Bullock, her niece Amanda Ridgely Lake, her stepson Harry King Tucker, III, her parents, H. Ridgely Bullock and Marian Whitney Batterman Bullock, and her stepmother Mary King Bullock.
She was born in Glen Cove, N.Y. on Nov. 12, 1937. She graduated Oldfields School and Briarcliff College and attended New York University. As an adult, she lived in New York City, Bryn Mawr, Atlanta, and Princeton, before moving to Vero Beach in 1992.
Tucker was an enthusiastic and devoted supporter of the arts, serving as Board Chairman from 2002 to 2004 of the Cultural Council of Indian River. She firmly believed that music, especially choral music and opera, enriched communities and nurtured the soul. She loved singing and throughout her life was a member of various Episcopal church choirs, most recently Trinity Episcopal Church of Vero Beach, where she was a parishioner for more than twenty years. She was also a member of the Vero Beach Choral Society, serving as Past President, a former board member of the Indian River Symphonic Association, the Academy for the Performing Arts, the New Jersey Symphony and Princeton Pro Musica, and membership chair of the Atlanta Symphony.
In addition to the arts, Tucker volunteered in many capacities with organizations devoted to improving the quality of lives of others. For example, she was a longtime supporter and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, serving as past chair of the family nurture committee. She also was certified as a guardian ad litem by the Supreme Court of Florida. She cared deeply about the Episcopal Church and the issues facing the church.
Tucker was fiercely committed to the principle that all people be treated with fairness and respect. In the past ten years she faced many difficult and daunting health challenges. She did so with admirable determination, honesty and courage. She entered hospice care two weeks ago with her characteristic humor intact, her heart full of love for family and friends present and departed, her mind strong as ever and her spirit at peace.
She died peacefully surrounded by her children. Tucker’s family gratefully acknowledges the compassionate care that she received at the VNA Hospice House and from her wonderful caregivers Darlene Lague, Redina Crain, Yambria Dozier and Blossom Anderson.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sheila’s memory to the Vero Beach Humane Society, 6230 77th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32962 or VNA Hospice Foundation, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, FL 32960.
