Obituary for William Ward Tucker
William W. “Bill” Tucker, 87 of Mulvane, KS passed away Monday evening, May 15, 2023 at his home.
Born July 2, 1935 in Hutchinson, Kansas, he was the son of William and Florence (Schroder) Tucker. He was raised in and received his early education in Hutchinson. He graduated from Buhler Rural High School in 1955. Later that year he joined the United States Air Force, with his first assignment, 768th AC&W Sq. Moriarty, NM as an administration clerk. In 1958 he spent a year in Ajo, AZ and was then discharged and immediately joined the Kansas National Guard. In 1987 he retired from the Guards at McConnell AFB as a Major (10 years active duty and 12 years Air Guard, totaling 22 years in the service.)
He received his BA from Washburn University and his Masters degree in Administration of Justice from Wichita State University. He was a detective for Reno County Sheriff’s department from 1965-1969. From 1969-1982 he was a special agent for the KBI as a criminalist. His specialties were latent fingerprinting, ballistics and crime scene investigation. He then accepted a job as chief of police for the city of Mulvane until he retired in 1992.
He was a member of First Baptist Church of Mulvane and was very active in Lions Club, Optimists Organization, and American Legion Post #136. He enjoyed golfing and teaching Judo, earning a brown belt. He enjoyed riding his Goldwing motorcycle, touring 49 states with Sheila – most several times. He spent many hours teaching first aid, CPR classes, and motorcycle safety classes – both the beginning courses and the experienced rider courses.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Sheila of the home, daughter Jennifer (Joe) Boshears of Derby, four stepchildren: Gerrie Dawn Sterns of Hollister, MO, Mike (Maggie) Osterday of MO, Jarrod (Teri) Oldridge of Las Vegas, NV, Lance (Sarah) Oldridge of Wichita: his sisters, Carol Mosier, Vicki (Larry) Moore, both of Hutchinson; one brother, Bob (Marcia) Tucker of Bucklin; eleven grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved K-9 service dog, Rex, and his two faithful labs, Buddy and Chance.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 21, from 2:00-6:00 p.m. at Smith Family Mortuary, Mulvane, KS. Funeral service will be Monday, May 22, 2023 at 10:00 a.m., officiated by Jason Velotta at Smith Family Mortuary, Mulvane, KS. Graveside service will be Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Fairlawn Cemetery, Hutchinson with Randy Eldridge officiating, and full military honors by the United States Air Force Honor Guard.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Kansas Humane Society and First Baptist Church of Mulvane, in care of Smith Family Mortuary, 501 SE Louis Blvd, Mulvane, KS 67110.
Born July 2, 1935 in Hutchinson, Kansas, he was the son of William and Florence (Schroder) Tucker. He was raised in and received his early education in Hutchinson. He graduated from Buhler Rural High School in 1955. Later that year he joined the United States Air Force, with his first assignment, 768th AC&W Sq. Moriarty, NM as an administration clerk. In 1958 he spent a year in Ajo, AZ and was then discharged and immediately joined the Kansas National Guard. In 1987 he retired from the Guards at McConnell AFB as a Major (10 years active duty and 12 years Air Guard, totaling 22 years in the service.)
He received his BA from Washburn University and his Masters degree in Administration of Justice from Wichita State University. He was a detective for Reno County Sheriff’s department from 1965-1969. From 1969-1982 he was a special agent for the KBI as a criminalist. His specialties were latent fingerprinting, ballistics and crime scene investigation. He then accepted a job as chief of police for the city of Mulvane until he retired in 1992.
He was a member of First Baptist Church of Mulvane and was very active in Lions Club, Optimists Organization, and American Legion Post #136. He enjoyed golfing and teaching Judo, earning a brown belt. He enjoyed riding his Goldwing motorcycle, touring 49 states with Sheila – most several times. He spent many hours teaching first aid, CPR classes, and motorcycle safety classes – both the beginning courses and the experienced rider courses.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Sheila of the home, daughter Jennifer (Joe) Boshears of Derby, four stepchildren: Gerrie Dawn Sterns of Hollister, MO, Mike (Maggie) Osterday of MO, Jarrod (Teri) Oldridge of Las Vegas, NV, Lance (Sarah) Oldridge of Wichita: his sisters, Carol Mosier, Vicki (Larry) Moore, both of Hutchinson; one brother, Bob (Marcia) Tucker of Bucklin; eleven grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved K-9 service dog, Rex, and his two faithful labs, Buddy and Chance.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 21, from 2:00-6:00 p.m. at Smith Family Mortuary, Mulvane, KS. Funeral service will be Monday, May 22, 2023 at 10:00 a.m., officiated by Jason Velotta at Smith Family Mortuary, Mulvane, KS. Graveside service will be Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Fairlawn Cemetery, Hutchinson with Randy Eldridge officiating, and full military honors by the United States Air Force Honor Guard.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Kansas Humane Society and First Baptist Church of Mulvane, in care of Smith Family Mortuary, 501 SE Louis Blvd, Mulvane, KS 67110.