Jerry Tucker Obituary

Jerry Eugene Tucker, 80, of Perth Amboy passed away on Friday morning 24 January 2025 after a long battle with illnesses.
Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on 19 October 1944 to the late Eugene and Willie Leotta (Watie) Tucker. He moved from Stilwell, Oklahoma to South Amboy, New Jersey in 1951.
Jerry was a 1962 graduate of Hoffman High School in South Amboy. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962 to 1966 and trained at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas as a K-9 handler and Air Police. He was stationed at the Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey and the Orlando Air Force Base in Florida. He was proud to be an Air Force veteran and if anyone who knew Jerry always saw him in his blue baseball cap with the Air Force logo.
In February 1967, he met his future wife Pat at a friend's house in Perth Amboy. They married on October 7th of that year at St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Carteret.
His career as a Research Laboratory and Quality Control Technician spanned over four decades in positions at Hatco Chemical in Fords, BASF (formerly Mobil Chemical) in Edison and Summit, and Reedy International in Keyport. He enjoyed his work which included extensive field technical support in polystyrene polymer processing and attended Middlesex County College.
Jerry loved playing softball and was a member of company teams at Hatco Chemical and Mobil Chemical. He was an avid dart player, played on Darab's Tavern team in Carteret, and was President of the Perth Amboy Dart League. He always had a great time winning prizes for his children in the dart toss balloon carnival game. He grew up roller skating at the South Amboy Rink and was a member of the speed skating team in the 1970s. His passion for CB radio led him to get his Amateur Extra radio license with callsign N2TDO. He was also a member of the Woodbridge Radio Club (K2ODP), American Legion Post 248 in Colonia, and served as a Trustee for the St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Carteret for many years.
He was a great coach for his daughters' Girls softball team for the Hopelawn Youth Organization and co-managed with his son Patrick their women's Softball team in the Woodbridge Recreation league. Also, he supported his son when he played with the Perth Amboy Little League.
Jerry was a proud citizen-at-large of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. He had an insatiable sweet tooth, indulging in Hershey Kisses, creamy vanilla shakes from Colonia Dairy Maid, fresh strawberries reminding him of his home Stilwell, Oklahoma which is described as the "Strawberry Capital of the World," and an endless assortment of cookies-from classic Snickerdoodles to his wife's cherished Hungarian apricot-filled treats at Christmas. No matter the time of day, his bottomless cup of coffee was always within reach, perfectly complementing his favorite sugary delights.
Instead of flying to vacation locations, Jerry and his wife Pat took many road trips to states along the Eastern Seaboard from Maine down to Key West and back out to his home state of Oklahoma several times. While he didn't want to fly later in life, he and Pat enjoyed their first-class air travel to Hawaii for their 25th wedding anniversary with their daughter Jerri, then son-in-law Louis Reyes and son Patrick.
He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Patricia (née Szymonifka), and children: son Michael Anderson and his wife Jodi of Moore, Oklahoma; daughter Michelle Chubenko and her husband Eric of Carteret; daughter Jerri Reyes of Fords, and son Patrick Tucker and his fiancé Colleen Martin of Warren.
And he will be forever missed by his grandchildren: Trystan Reyes, Makayla Reyes, Alexus Smith, Stephanie Chubenko, Aleksandra Chubenko and Anthony Smith, and Juanna Smith (mother of Alexus and Anthony) as well as his sister, Patricia (Tucker) Pappas of Millersville, Pennsylvania, niece Tara Pappas and her daughter, Jessica, and his brother Philippe Sagory and wife Monique of Vannes, France, niece Florence Sagory-Poupart and nephew Yann Sagory.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his stepmother, Marie (Rebeck) Tucker and his nephew, David Pappas.
Funeral services will begin at 11am on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at GERITY & CHUBENKO FUNERAL HOME, 411 Amboy Avenue, Woodbridge, NJ 07095. Relatives and friends may arrive to the funeral home beginning at 10am. Interment will follow at Cloverleaf Memorial Park in Woodbridge.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 from 4pm to 8pm at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Woodbridge Animal Group (WAG), 195 Woodbridge Ave, Sewaren, NJ 07077.
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