Submitted by his family and department
Billy John Tucker was a people person. He loved his family‚ friends‚ community and church. He enjoyed what he did‚ he loved being with and helping others. He died April 6‚ 2003 while working a wreck. He is greatly missed by all who knew him‚ but his memory remains with us.
Billy John joined the Broomtown/Rinehart Volunteer Fire Department shortly after moving home to Cherokee County in 1989. He was elected chief in 1992 and resigned as chief in 2001. Billy John continued to serve as treasurer and was on the Board of Directors at the time of his death. Billy John joined the Cherokee County Rescue Squad in 1993 and was still active at the time of his death. He was also a member of the Cherokee County Fire Association. Billy John was president of the Boosters Club at Gaylesville High School for a couple of years. He was involved in local political events that would help our community.
Billy John Tucker was born [November 24‚ 1932] and raised in Cherokee County Alabama. He graduated from‚ and played football for Gaylesville High School. He later moved to Georgia and married Peggy Walters‚ after his marriage to Peggy‚ they moved to Detroit‚ Michigan where they lived for a number of years before moving back to Georgia. Together they raised seven children: Michael‚ Nancy‚ Teresa‚ Ricky‚ Susie‚ Phyllis and Steve. Billy John helped to start a church while living in Georgia. He enjoyed playing golf.
Billy John was a wholesale food broker for AtAtlanta when he moved back to Cherokee County Alabama in 1989 he remained with them until his retirement. He later helped his niece and her husband with their business [Empire Printing] in Centre‚ Alabama‚ and worked at various things at various places. He loved seeing and being with people.
Billy John was an active member of the Berryton Ga. Church of God. He and his wife served as directors of the Young At Heart.
Billy John Tucker worked hard for our fire department and helped accomplish a lot‚ we really needed to add on to our building in order to have bathrooms and office space for the department‚ he worked with the ladies auxiliary and after a lot of hard work and a number of fund raisers this was accomplished‚ he had a ball‚ we did a Bingo as a fund raiser‚ with cakes and whatever anyone would donate as a prize. It was an election year and he talked to all the candidates and invited them up to the Bingo‚ needless to say it was a great success with all the candidates spending and making donations. After that‚ the Bingo Fund Raisers were his baby‚ so to speak. He was our own public relations man then. Billy John Tucker worked to get the younger men in the community interested in the fire department‚ and to get the Ladies Auxiliary started back‚ after they slacked off. He and two other members signed a personal note to get our first pumper truck‚ and also helped to get a brush truck donated from our state forestry department‚ and helped to get a building erected to house it in. Billy John also helped to get the Cherokee County Road Department to pave our parking lot.
When talking with Peggy‚ she told me he was ‘A good Daddy and a good provider for his family’. On April 6‚ 2003 he decided to go to bed early‚ just after he laid down the call came in about the wreck‚ he got up and told Peggy he better go see if he could help the boys. [Two of his sons are in the department‚ but he called them all his boys.] That was their last conversation‚ and the last time she saw him alive. It was reported that he pulled two children out of the wreck before becoming the next victim of a wreck himself. He was known by his family and the younger men in the department as ‘Big Daddy’.
Billy John Tucker ‘Big Daddy’ is missed by all who knew him.
“Dear Mrs. Tucker, I just wanted to express my condolences for the loss of your husband. He sounded like a wonderful husband and father. He also sounded like a dedicated and caring firefighter. I am sure he is up in heaven looking down at his family with love and pride. Best wishes to your family, Pam Arrant”
– Pam Arrant