Mr. Hubert Whitfield Tucker

Columbia: Hubert Whitfield Tucker died Thursday, September 13, 2012. He was born August 8, 1924, to Minnie Mae Webb Tucker and Elzie Perry Tucker on their farm in Amory, Mississippi. Early in life he learned and embraced the value of hard work and greatly enjoyed the outdoor life. Hubert was graduated from Amory High School in 1941 and attended East Mississippi Junior College in Scooba, Mississippi. Following his service in the United States Army during World War II, he continued his education and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1948 from the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Immediately upon graduation he began a long and successful career with Southern Bell Systems, where he worked for thirty-six years as chief internal auditor and office manager. He was noted for his great accuracy and attention to detail when handling the company's finances. Hubert also served his country proudly and admirably as a member of the US Armed Forces during WW II. He joined the 43rd Infantry Division of the United States Army in 1942 and served for three years, achieving the highest rank for enlisted men, that of Regimental Sergeant Major. He was stationed in New Guinea and participated in the invasion of the Philippines, where he saw much hostile action. Many of his good friends were killed in combat. His division was the 5th unit to go into Japan as the Army of Occupation (1945). One of Hubert’s greatest joys was his study of music, and after being transferred by Southern Bell to Columbia, SC, he studied organ for many years with Dr. Fred Howard Parker, Dean of Music at Columbia College and organist for First Presbyterian Church. Hubert played for many churches as interim and guest organist, including Eastminster Presbyterian, St Paul’s Lutheran, Ascension Lutheran, Good Shepherd Episcopal, Our Lady of the Hills Catholic, Trinity Lutheran, St. John’s Episcopal, and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. As a member of the Columbia Chapter of American Guild of Organists, he attended biannual conventions in major cities of the United States and heard many of the world’s leading organists. He and his wife, Marian, also traveled widely in the early years of their marriage and enjoyed many seasons of opera and concerts throughout the country. Together they heard many of the great artists of the 20th century. As a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Colonel Thomas Taylor Chapter, Hubert attended state and national conventions that featured leading genealogists. He was particularly interested in his family roots. He noted with pride that the Tucker family came from the border countries of northern England and Scotland, by way of Bermuda, to Charles Towne (South Carolina) and to regions that would become Alabama and Mississippi, bringing with them their great energy and work ethic. Hubert was blessed with this great energy and work ethic and contributed much to his community. He was a member and past president (1975) of the Columbia Music Festival Association, a member and past president of the Evening Music Club, and a member of the Golden Kiwanis Club. He was a communicant of St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Hubert was a talented and scholarly man, and his many successful endeavors stand as a testament to a life well-lived. In addition, he possessed a gracious warmth that, together with his many expressions of kindness, touched and enriched the lives of his family and many friends. He is survived by his wife, Anna Marian Stanley Tucker; daughter, Kittrell Anne Tucker; granddaughter, Chelsea Tucker Helsley; step daughters, Cynthia Benson Clarke, Frieda Benson Grimball, and Sara Elizabeth Benson; step grandchildren, Marian Stanley Grimball Young, Captain William Heyward Grimball, William Byrd Stanley Henriksen, Phillips Stanley Henriksen, Donald Edward Benson, and Herbert Lankford Benson; Kittrell Lester Tucker, mother of Kittrell Anne Tucker. He was predeceased by his step daughter, Anna Lynn Benson. Catholic interment rites for the family will be held at the Stanley family enclosure in the cemetery adjacent to First Presbyterian Church, with Deacon Ron Anderson officiating. Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service celebrating Hubert’s life 11:00 o’clock, Monday, September 17th at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral officiated by The Rev. Canon Susan B. Heath. Members of the Golden Kiwanis Club are invited to serve as honorary pallbearers and sit together at the service. The family will greet friends after the service in the Stirling Room. Shives Funeral Home is in charge. Memorials may be made to the following: St Peter’s Catholic Church, 1509 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC, 29202-1896; Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 1100 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC, 29201-3795; or the Oliver Gospel Mission, 1100 Taylor Street, Columbia, SC 29201.

Tributes

Mr. Hubert Whitfield Tucker

August 8, 1924 - September 13, 2012