Lloyd Taft Jr. Tucker

Lloyd “Butch” Tucker, 68, died Sunday, March 23, 2014. Born May 7, 1945 in Monroe, NC, he was the son of Mary Surratt Tucker and the late Lloyd Tucker, Sr. Butch grew up in the Benton Heights area and attended Monroe High School before continuing his studies at both Wingate University and Campbell University. After college, he served his country in the Army and then returned to his home in Monroe to start a family and pursue his dream of opening his own jewelry store. For more than 40 years, Butch owned and operated Tucker’s Jewelers where he became the area’s first and only Graduate Gemologist. His store was also the area’s first to earn the distinguished AGS certification. Known for his creativity, quality and integrity, he brought his unique talent for jewelry design to his community and to customers far and wide. His work was his passion and it led him to share some of life’s most memorable moments with his customers. He saw that as a privilege, and his legacy as a jeweler and designer will live on in the many creations that now adorn the fingers, wrists and necks of so many. Butch was a devoted husband of more than 46 years, a loving father, business man, artisan, avid woodworker, and musician. Through junior high, high school and college he developed a love of music, playing his trumpet in numerous bands over the years, including the Monroe-based Reflection Big Band. Always committed to improving his community, he lived in a home he personally restored near downtown Monroe and even served as the Chairman of the Historic District for several years. He is survived by his wife Julia Bragg Tucker; mother Mary Surratt Tucker; sister Brenda Mitchell; son Taft, his wife Angela and their children Grayson, Meredith and Reid of Mooresville, NC; son Matthew and his wife Brooke of Monroe, NC; daughter Courtney, her husband JB Baker and their children Keenan, Campbell and Hudson of Apex, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Union County. A memorial service, followed by a celebration of life, will be held at Central United Methodist Church in Monroe, NC on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 6:00pm. Condolences may be expressed at www.gordonfuneralservice.com