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Both he and his wife, Rae, have traveled to south Texas and Mexico more than once to work with people through "Volunteers in Missions," which is within the United Methodist Church.
The Tuckers are members of Wesley United Methodist Church in Ottumwa.
"Originally, [the missions group] was a pretty loose thing. There were no dues to join the group and it was something to do after I retired," he said.
A few years ago the Tuckers traveled with Carol and Barry Barnes of Ottumwa to Mississippi to build a house for a family in Tunica. The project was "Roof for Rosie" and included several different churches.
"We built a house over the summer with eight different 10-member teams. We were on the second team," Tucker said. "It was an uplifting experience."
The Tuckers have also worked in Methodist Distribution Centers in Chatham, Ill., and Baldwin, La., where they collected gear for emergencies.
An Oskaloosa native, Tucker has lived in Ottumwa "for only 50 years."
Maintenance and mechanical projects have been his expertise since he left the U.S. Navy in 1956. He worked for the Ottumwa Sears outlet until it closed, then was in charge of maintenance at the Ottumwa/Wapello Recycling Center.
Tucker's "main thing" is his 40 years of service with the Lions Club, "the world's largest service organization." The Lions banners and numerous pins bear silent witness to his hard work and the countless hours he has devoted to others.
He has held every office in local and district Lions clubs. In 2001-02 he was the Southeast Iowa district governor and in December 2007 he received the International Press Award for outstanding service to Lions Clubs International.
"[The Lions' focus] is sight conservation and the purpose is to eliminate and prevent blindness," he said.
In several families, the Lions volunteers are helping second generations with vision problems, according to Tucker. The service group also supports an eye bank and recycling used eyeglasses.
With the help of Iowa KidSight, the Lions Clubs hope to screen every pre-schooler in Iowa. There are about 25,000 in Iowa and "about five percent have vision problems and might need help," Tucker said.
"We're trying to locate all of them and get them to a professional," he added.
Some of Tucker's devotion to nonprofit efforts to help those with physical problems may stem from the assistance he and Rae received for their son, who had muscular dystrophy and died years ago.
"MDA helped us. Ken Pennington, a past district [Lions] governor, gave me a place to help someone else," he said.
What sustains Tucker through all his efforts to help others?
He said he enjoys that "warm, fuzzy feeling" he gets when he receives "a thank you from an individual" or "a letter from a child at diabetes camp."
And, "Rae never complains about where we go or what we do," he added.
Bicycles are longtime companions for Tucker. But, while on vacation in Texas, his bike was stolen.
"It wasn't a new one but it had 16,000 miles on it," he said. "Last year I got a new one, but it only has 1,000 miles on it."
Tucker also worked on the Wabash bridge, a trails project "you have to wear knee pads for"; and, served on the city's Ad Hoc Park Plan Committee.
In his alleged spare time, Tucker tinkers with wood and rebuilds furniture, mostly items that have been recycled. He doesn't do restoration.
"When I have nothing else to do I make sawdust," he said.
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