Johnnie Doyle Tucker

Johnnie Doyle Tucker, of Bartlesville, Okla., passed from this life on Friday, November 9, 2018, following a massive stroke. He was 88 years old. Johnnie was born July 2, 1930 to Rance Tucker and Mamie Burnsed Tucker, at Maxwell, a former township near Ada, Okla. He received his diploma from Vanoss High School in 1949, and completed his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at East Central State College, Ada, in 1953. Upon graduation, he also received a teaching certification. Johnnie was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953, and served his country until 1955. In 1954, Johnnie married Patricia Mae Boyles, of Ada. He was stationed at Ft. Sill in Lawton, Okla., and so the couple made their first home there. He began working for Phillips Petroleum Company in 1955. Johnnie and Pat then moved their home to Bartlesville, where they reared two children, Regina and Rick. Johnnie and Pat were active in card clubs, bowling leagues, and square dance clubs. Johnnie enjoyed hunting and fishing, and played company softball, volleyball, and basketball. In 1981, the couple attended a country dance class at the YWCA, which sparked their long-time passion for country dancing. They helped to start the Country Two Steppers and were club instructors from 1982 through 1988. For six years, they led the J&P Country Dance Club. They taught classes at the YWCA and, later, the YMCA, and also organized an exhibition group that performed at local nursing homes, festivals and charitable events. Johnnie and Pat began competitive dancing in 1988. They traveled to several states and won numerous awards -- their most prized trophies were won at the World II Competition in Nashville, Tenn. In 1991, they were awarded a set of jackets for “Best Overall Dancers” in the senior division, and in 1994, they won two first place trophies. Johnnie retired at the age of 55, after working for 33 years. He had a small acreage south of Bartlesville High School, where he planted a large garden and experimented with grafting papershell pecan trees. Naturally, the second floor of the barn became the dance floor for the J&P Country Dance Club. Johnnie was preceded in death by a half-brother, Bethel (born to his father’s first wife, also named Mamie), and by his siblings, Robert Joe Tucker and Mildred Faye Tucker. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, of the home; his daughter Regina and her husband, Donnie Diamond, of Bartlesville; his son Rick Tucker and his wife, Jenese, of Bartlesville; his grandson, Nic Diamond, of Bartlesville; his brother, Delbert Tucker, of Ada; his sisters, Thelma Ruth Descombes, of McLoud, Okla., Linda Sanders, of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Bettie Marie Eppler, of Moore, Okla., and their respective spouses and children. A service celebrating the life of Johnnie Doyle Tucker will be held at the Adams Blvd Church of Christ building in Bartlesville, 11 AM, Friday, November 16, 2018. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Journey Home, 900 NE Washington Blvd, Bartlesville, OK 74006.

Johnnie Doyle Tucker

July 2, 1930 - November 9, 2018