William Mahlon Tucker 1922 - 2003

TUCKER, SCHMIDT, CARBERRY

Posted By: Marguerite (email)
Date: 7/2/2003 at 12:47:08

William Mahlon Tucker, 80, of 350 Dublin Drive, died Wednesday morning, June 25, 2003, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City following a lengthy illness.

Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 1, 2003 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 405 N. Riverside Drive, Iowa City, with the Reverend Walter Helms, officiating. Friends may greet the family at the church after 10:00 a.m. Tuesday. Private family burial will be held at St. Joseph Cemetery. Friends may call from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. Monday at the Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, 605 Kirkwood Avenue, Iowa City. In lieu of flowers, memorials contributions may be made to Iowa City Hospice, Iowa City Public Library Foundation, Mercy Foundation or the University of Iowa College of Law Foundation. Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.

William (Bill) Tucker was born in Ames, Iowa, on December 8, 1922, the son of Frank T. and Marie (Carberry) Tucker. He graduated from high school in Atlantic, Iowa, in 1940. After enlisting in the Iowa National Guard in 1939, he went into active service on February 10, 1941, and became a platoon sergeant at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. In February 1942, he was transferred into the Air Corps and became a commissioned pilot in February 1943. As a P-47 fighter pilot, William flew 47 combat missions over France and Germany. In October 1944, his plane was shot down and he spent 11 months recovering in military hospitals. He was awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters.

He received a B.A. in 1948 from the University of Iowa and his J.D. from Iowa Law School in 1950. It was during law school that he met and married Betty Louise Schmidt on November 8, 1947. Upon graduation, Bill remained in Iowa City to practice law. He was in the office of D.C. Nolan for seven years, during which time he was appointed Johnson County’s first Assistant County Attorney by William C. Meardon and later was elected county attorney and served from 1955-1959. In 1957 he became a partner in the law firm of Hart, Shulman & Phelan, where he continued to practice law until his retirement in 2000. He was a special lecturer in Trial Practice for the University of Iowa College for 12 years.

In addition to his years of military service and practice of law, Bill was active in numerous community organizations. These included: serving as the first chairman of the Iowa Civil Defense of Johnson County; serving as Iowa City Little League Commissioner for three years during which time the playing fields at City Park were built; presiding as president of the Iowa City Public Library Board at the time of the first expansion of the Carnegie Library Building; board membership in the Johnson County American Red Cross and the Visiting Nurses Association and volunteering at the Iowa City Senior Center. He was a member of the St. Thomas More Catholic Church where he was chairman of the Building Committee when the current church was built. In recognition of his military service and volunteer activities. Bill received the Will Hayek Award in 2000.

Other fraternal and professional organizations included: Sigma Nu and Phi Delta Phi fraternities, B.P.O.E. of Iowa City, Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus and the American Legion. Professional legal organizations and offices held included: President, 1958, Johnson County Bar Association; Board of Governors, 1972 – 1975, Iowa State Bar Association; President, 1957 – 1958, Iowa County Attorney’s Association, State Chairman and member of the Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers; Trustee, 1975 – 1993, Vice President, 1983 – 1993, Iowa State Bar Foundation.

William M. Tucker is survived by his wife, Betty Lou of Iowa City, two sons; Michael James and his wife, Kay of Clearwater, Florida, Richard Mahlon and his wife, Buffie of Iowa City, six grandchildren; Meredith Burba and husband, Scott of Marietta, Georgia, James Tucker and wife, Shannon of Charlotte, North Carolina, Jessica and Ashley Tucker of Iowa City, Matthew and Sara Tucker of Clearwater, Florida, one great-grandchild, Elisa Burba and a niece, Fran Stafford and her husband, Roger and their children, Casey and Tucker of Tupelo, Mississippi, one brother, Frank T. Tucker and his wife Bea of Jefferson, Iowa.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Rosemary Glasgow.