Jeanne E. Tucker

Jeanne Elizabeth Tucker, 70 of Laurel, Maryland passed away on February 1st, 2021 at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore from COVID-19. Her memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 10, 2021 at the Donald V. Borgwardt Funeral Home (4400 Powder Mill Rd, Beltsville MD 20705), 2pm.  The family welcomes donations to the Alzheimer’s Association or to an animal rescue of your choice as an expression of sympathy instead of flowers.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Clarence (Chuck) Tucker, and her parents, Gene and Helen Passero.

Jeanne was born on July 5, 1950 in Rochester, NY.  When she was about 6 her family moved to Camp Springs, MD, and she grew up there.  She graduated from Crossland Senior High in 1968 and got married shortly after. Jeanne had a number of professions throughout her life. In the 70’s she then worked as a receptionist for her family’s business, Central Construction, as well as a waitress.  She was a bartender through most of the 80’s and met the love of her life, Chuck Tucker while working at the NCO Club at Andrews AFB.

She started up and ran her own wallpapering business called J. Tucker Interiors in the late 80’s. As sole proprietor, she ran that business for many years until health problems caused her to look for a different path. Although she enjoyed having her own business, it always bothered her that she never finished getting her college degree, so she went on to study Information Technology at Westwood College.  She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2005 and started a new career at the Navy Yard in DC working as a HelpDesk Specialist. She retired in 2016.

In her spare time, Jeanne volunteered for a number of organizations, and coached her two youngest children in Odyssey of the Mind for many years, taking both to the world competition several times.  Volunteering for many years at Thomas Stone Sr. High in Waldorf, MD, she was a booster, among other roles, for the drama and choir programs.

Jeanne was passionate about a great many things, loved the holidays, especially Christmas. Each upcoming holiday would always be the “best [insert holiday] ever!”  Consequently, she made sure that there were a lot of family traditions incorporated into each, from homemade bunny cake and lamb with mint jelly for Easter, making pumpkin cookies at Halloween to making pizzelles and cutting down our own tree at Christmas - and she had seasonally appropriate decorations to decorate the house for them all. We would be remiss not to mention that singing and listening to Christmas carols was encouraged at any time after her birthday (in July) and the Christmas list went up on the fridge every year on September 1st.

Spending time with her husband and kids was her passion, and in addition to her holiday traditions, there were summer cookouts by the pool and fall football parties, where everyone would cheer on her favorite team: The Washington Football Team (fmr. Washington Redskins). Trips to Ocean City, her parents’ home in Camp Springs, and crabbing at the pier on Solomon’s Island happened multiple times per year.  We also visited other family in Rochester, NY.

Musicals of any kind, including Rodgers and Hammerstein movies, local theater productions, and Broadway shows brought her much happiness.  Les Miserables was her absolute favorite show, and that love caused her to see the show about 6 times and read the almost 3,000-page book that inspired the musical. She was an avid mystery and true crime lover, and was also a big plant & flower enthusiast, cultivating and propagating many indoor plants and landscaping her backyards over the years.

Jeanne was a devoted animal lover, with a special place in her heart for cats. Over her lifetime, she’s loved and cared for many dogs and cats -- and at one time in the 70’s, she even adopted a descented skunk, whom she lovingly named Rosie!  There was a special species of insect called the hummingbird moth that used to visit her perennial garden in the summertime. She delighted in seeing them visit  the garden, calling the family over so that they, too could see the “hummingbee” flying around the flowers.

Jeanne will be sorely missed by her children: Marti Toronto Miller of Woodstock, Maryland,  James Tucker (Stina) of Sollentuna, Sweden, and Jennifer Taylor (Larry) of Orchard Beach, Maryland; her sister Judie Tweedy and brother Jim Passero; her five grandchildren; Jason Toronto (Erin), Rachael Toronto, Josefine Tucker, Madeleine Tucker and Felicia Tucker; her step-daughters & their families: Susan McLeod, Cristine DiFilippo, and Janet Crofton of Fishers Indiana; and many other loving nieces, nephews and relatives.