Obituary of Joan Iown Tucker

Joan Iown Tucker, age 98, of Ardmore, Okla., passed away on Thursday, March 6, 2025, just six days shy of her 99th birthday. Born on March 12, 1926, in Springfield, Missouri, she was the daughter of Cloren Milton Gallion and Beulah (Jones) Gallion. She married Kenneth P. Tucker on March 23, 1946, the day after he returned from serving in World War II. They were married for 54 years until his passing in 2000. Together they had two children: Carol Ann Perry and Patricia Gayle Roberts, both reside in Ardmore, Okla. She is preceded in death by two brothers, Lloyd and Earl, and two sisters, Beatrice and Marjorie. She is survived by her daughters: Carol Ann Perry and Patricia Gayle Roberts; sisters: Sarah Keaton and Jane Richardson; four grandchildren: Jason Perry (Hillery), Angie Wrublewski (Adam), Karey Landers (Aaron) and Ally Rodriguez; six great-grandchildren: Samantha, Carter, Hailey (Gavin), Evan, Ethan and Jaxon; and one great-great-grandchild, Layton. Joan kept herself busy and was an active member in the Ardmore community. She was a long- time volunteer as a “Pink Lady” with the Mercy Hospital Memorial Auxiliary Group where she could be found working in the gift shop, popping popcorn, and delivering flowers. She served as the financial secretary and was a lifetime member of First Christian Church Disciples of Christ of Ardmore and was a member of the Dickson Homemakers Extension Group. Many people remember her blue ribbon pies that she would bake and enter in the county fair. She was so proud of her cherry and pecan pies that you were lucky if you got to try them. Joan and Kenneth were very active with the Shriners Children’s Hospital, as Kenneth was a long-time member of the Ardmore Shrine Club and Joan a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Together they volunteered their time in parades, driving local families back and forth to the hospital, and supporting the local Shriners Rodeo. Joan loved to create things. From her beautiful paintings, to ceramics, crocheting, quilting and gardening, she was always making something and sharing this gift of hers with others. If you ever stopped by her house, you would likely find her tending to her plants in her flower room, or in the backyard planting bulbs or harvesting from her garden. Amongst all the many things Joan was known for, the most would be her love of her Oklahoma Sooners. As a loyal football fan, she was honored for her dedication of being a 50+ year season ticket holder in 2019. She and several members of her family took the field and were presented with a commemorative framed artwork of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. She beamed with pride every time she stepped foot in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and regularly attended home games well into her 90s. When she was no longer able to attend the games, the community of fans who surrounded her all those years still asked about her each week. Her Sooner family was, and is, one of a kind. Serving as pallbearers will be Jason Perry, Aaron Landers, Carter Perry, Gavin Blue, Jim Tucker, and Kenny Brooks. Honorary pallbearers are to be Steve Martin and Larry Cypert. A homecoming celebration will be held at 10:30 AM, Friday, March 14, 2025, in The Chapel at Griffin-Hillcrest Funeral Home of Ardmore. Interment to follow at Hillcrest Memorial Park, Ardmore. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital, 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607 Condolences may be left at www.GriffinHillcrest.com