Arthur Robert "A R" Tucker

Mr. Arthur Robert “A R” Tucker, age 76 of the Liberty Community of North Walton County passed away Monday, June 4, 2012 in Wiregrass Hospital in Geneva, Alabama. He was born June 18, 1935 in Maitland, Florida the son of Robert Steven Tucker and Hazel Awilda Parkhurst Tucker. AR was a ceramic tile setter in his early years and owned and operated his own ceramic tile business, but when Walt Disney came to Florida, and brought with it congestion and traffic, he pulled up stakes and moved to Northwest Florida, settling in the Liberty Community where he and his mother and uncle purchased 110 acres of farm land and began a farming operation known as Tucker Farms. AR loved fast cars and anything associated with motorsport. He and some of his buddies, back in 1959, built a sportsman car, using AR’s motor and entered it in the very first Daytona race finishing twenty-first with their car driven by Stanley Parker. His love of motor cross and Nascar was part of him all of his life and for the past fourteen years he and his son were involved in building and racing dirt track. The one hundred and ten acre farm AR started in 1968 has grown to over a thousand acre family operation when the support acreage is included. AR was a man’s man; he loved sports, and hunting and western movies, but even though the exterior of this hard working, gruff man showed a life of sweat and toil, there was also within him a more gentle side, a nurturing and loving father who always, always put his children first. He, with the help of his mother raised his three children, seeing to it not only their physical needs were met, but that each and everyday quality family time was first in his priorities. As time took it’s toll AR put to use his cooking skills, something he had learned from the world’s greatest cook, his mother. He was a fan of “cooking shows” and would try out some of these creations on his children and they happily report “it wasn’t bad”. AR Tucker was a family man and saw to it that his children had a strong, loving Christian home to grow up in. He was part of the fellowship of Calvary Baptist Church.

Among survivors are his son, Martin Tucker and wife Beth. His daughters, Toni Courtney Norman and Terri Jackson and husband Chris. His grandchildren, Candace Bearden and husband Nick. Reid Tucker and Jesse Tucker. One great grandson, Phillip Bearden also survives.

Mr. Tucker’s request that instead of money being spent on flowers, that folks make a memorial to Calvary Baptist Church, P. O. Box 603 DeFuniak Springs, Florida 32435. There will be a container at Calvary Baptist Church during the visitation on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 from 6 until 8 P.M. where those who so desire can put their envelopes with their name and address printed on the outside. Even though the visitation is going to be at the church, the funeral service is going to be in Jerry Evans Chapel, Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 3:00 P.M. with Brother Tim Barrow assisted by Brother William Tucker Aplin and with a eulogy by James Cecil Hall. Burial will follow in Cluster Springs Cemetery.