Frances A. Tucker

Frances Ann was born in Lebanon, Virginia on March 29, 1929, and was the first of five children born to Hampton ("Hoot") and Roseann ("Rosie") Gibson. She was raised on hard work, Christian principles, and a deep love for family which she embraced throughout her life. In Virginia, Frances attended first grade in a one-room schoolhouse. Prior to second grade, her family moved at the prompting of her father. Hoot, a WWI U.S. Marine veteran, had traveled the Old National Road through the midwest after the war and thought it would be a good place to farm. Later, back in Virginia, Hoot loaded up the wagon with Rosie, the two children, a few possessions, along with their cow, and said they were moving to Indiana. After settling in Putnam County, Hoot worked as a tenant farmer and Rosie worked in a factory. Frances remembered how difficult life was. In second grade, Fran's classmates and even her teacher made fun of her shabby clothes and ugly shoes. Fran decided to paint her shoes with green house paint, figuring they would either look better or she might get a new pair of shoes! She found out her bright idea only made matters worse when she went to school the next day. She was teased even more and she did not get new shoes. Little did she know then, that later in life, she would be known for her beautiful smile, her sense of style, AND closets full of shoes! Fran's third grade teacher treated her with kindness, compassion, and love. From that point on, she loved school and the story of one teacher's positive impact has not been forgotten. One year apart, Fran and her brother Raymond were very close. Frances took Ray to school with her in Virginia because she was expected to care for him while her parents worked. Ray remembers when they were young, he and Frances were the family entertainers. They would climb inside an old broken Victrola and together would sing songs out the front speaker. Since Ray was younger and smaller, Rosie had a soft spot in her heart for him, so he became nicknamed "Poor Little Raymond." Fran and Eddie later honored Ray by naming their stray, scrawny cat after him! Even to this day, Raymond the Cat, no longer scrawny, is quite famous for his personality, charm, good looks, and swagger, just like his namesake. Fran always said that her brother Gene was the "best" of the Gibson children. She said this because Gene always told the truth and never strayed from doing what was right. She often spoke of him with pride about his college degree, good deeds and how he used his life to help children and serve others. In 1936, Fran's brother, Jimmie Dale was born, but died in infancy. Nine years apart, Frances and her sister, Wilma, were able to bond even closer as young wives and mothers. They bowled together in the same league and they learned how to ride motorcycles as both their husbands rode in Sunday "hare scrambles." In the first practice session in Wilma's back yard, Frances struggled with the clutch and the gas and rode straight through the neighbor's barbed wire fence. Wilma and the girls all ran over to Fran and found her on the ground scraped and bleeding from a cut on her hand that needed stitches, but laughing. Frances said she was mad at that fence and she was NOT going to let that stop her from riding! It certainly did not stop her. Decades later, she and Eddie took a 5000 mile bike trip on their custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles to celebrate 50 years of marriage. Frances and Paul Eddie met in 1951 at a square dance. Eddie asked Frances to dance but stumbled and stepped on her toes. They laughed, danced, then sat down and talked the rest of the evening. They were married in August of 1953. Frances loved being an independent working woman. She was a fashion trendsetter by being the first woman to wear a pantsuit to work. It was the latest fashion, purchased from the downtown L.S. Ayres. When her supervisor told her that women were not allowed to wear pants, she challenged that rule. It was at that moment that a co-worker in a skirt was bending over at the file cabinet, revealing a little too much. Fran said, "Do you mean to tell me that her skirt is okay and my outfit isn't?" No one ever mentioned her pant suit again and soon the other women followed her fashionable lead. Fran and Eddie loved to travel, and although they had a tight budget after the girls were born, they vacationed every year, usually camping out and taking their motorcycles. Over the years, they visited all fifty states and Canada. Later, after Eddie retired, he and Frances still enjoyed bike trips and camping, but finally had enough money to splurge a little. They traveled the world with Ambassadair, always choosing a place they had never been. Eddie loved how Frances was always up for challenge and adventure. He once told her, "Frances, I think if I asked you to ride with me across the USA on a camel, you would do it!" Frances passed her love for adventure on to both her daughters. When Toni was four, the next door neighbor noticed her up in a tree and Fran down below coaching her. The neighbor rushed over, only to hear Frances explain that it was important for Toni to know how to climb, so she was teaching her! Terri still continues the Tucker tradition of motorcycling, and Fran always wanted to know about Terri and Dale's latest motorcycle rides. Fran recently told Terri that the freedom of riding her motorcycle with Eddie was what she missed the most. To Frances, work was never a drudgery, but a privilege. She also said that you have to have parties with people you work with or else you will never really know them! Frances' work ethic was formed from childhood when she picked tomatoes for a penny a pound. By the age of twelve, when she saved $13.00, she bought a table at the Coatsville Auction. That table is still in the family. After high school, Frances got a job with the State of Indiana. She took the bus from Stilesville to downtown Indianapolis every day - 40 miles each way. She also attended classes at Indiana Business College and even worked part-time as a waitress to earn extra money to buy new clothes. She would arrive home around 11 p.m. and walk through the field to get home.She held fast to the expectation of hard work so much that later in her life her own daughters began to refer to it as "The Curse of Rosie." Frances' mother told her it was a sin - "laziness" - to sit and relax ! This even applied to her spiritual life. Fran firmly believed that If you are going to pray about something , you also better be DOING something about it. Fran stayed home caring for her family when the kids were young. She gardened, canned, cooked, cleaned, and sewed her own clothes, as well as matching outfits for the girls. She taught all her skills to her daughters and anyone else who wanted to learn! Later Fran worked as a clothing buyer for The California Shoppe in Nora. In the mid 80's the opportunity to go in the restaurant business with her sister-in-law became her next work experience. Fran's reputation as an amazing cook prompted the partnership. Fran was diagnosed with breast cancer just prior to going on a trip to Israel in the late 90s. She wanted to go anyway, and upon returning home, had a mastectomy. She made a full recovery and was invited to model clothes for Nordstrom in the annual YME fashion show. She was thrilled when she was paired to walk the runway along with Barbara Boyd, the first African-American news anchor in Indianapolis. After beating cancer, Fran donned a pink boa with her daughters and friends, and participated in the Susan Komen 5K. She won first place in her age division! Fran said you should always get up and try to look better than you feel. On gloomy days or when she didn't feel great, she made a point to put on her makeup and wear bright clothes. Her idea about dressing well came from Rosie, who said we need to remember other people when we are getting dressed. "Others have to look at us, and no one wants to look at a slob!" Frances' life was all about loving others and serving God through her gift of hospitality. She rarely missed a Sunday at church. The Sunday before her passing, she had watched the service online and her handwritten notes were left at her computer. Fran loved being with people. She opened her home, welcoming anyone and everyone. This was a legacy she learned from her own parents in the 1930s when Rosie and Hoot would feed strangers who came to their door on Highway 40 in need of a meal. Fran lived her life the same way, cooking and sharing what she had. Serving in the Hazel Dell Christian Church kitchen on Wednesday nights was something Fran enjoyed, helping prepare meals for families before they went to Bible study. She loved the camaraderie of the kitchen workers, having fun and laughing. She made them roar with laughter when she showed up to cook one night, wearing a jacket she found at the Goodwill with "Hell's Kitchen" emblazoned across the back! This was just typical Fran. Fran was a charter member of the Kappa Kappa Sigma Service Sorority in Pike Township, helping children and families in need for over 50 years. She was also proud to be one of the "Ladies of Eden Glen" in the neighborhood that she and Eddie loved so much. The annual ladies' Christmas party was one of her favorite nights of the year. Fran was so much to many people, but her true love was Eddie, whom she adored with all her heart. In all the ways that she was a good mother, she was even a better wife, treating him with respect and honor. Together, they loved spending time with their grandchildren, attending ball games, dance recitals, and school events. Christmas Eve, also Eddie's birthday, was considered the most anticipated and magical evening of the year in the Tucker home. Family meant everything to Fran. She was considered the matriarch of the family, getting everyone together for holidays and reunions. Frances always created an atmosphere of fun and love. After the death of her beloved Eddie in 2017, and with the onset of Covid in 2020, Fran grieved the loss of togetherness. Our farewell to Fran on this earth is bittersweet. While we will forever miss her, we honor her amazing legacy as we remember how she lived. Our family wholly trusts in the Lord's promise that as believers in Jesus Christ we will reunite again one day in His presence. And what a beautiful reunion that will be.