Essie Lee Tucker

Essie Lee Tucker was born on January 6, 1939, in LaGrange, Georgia, to Charles H. and Susie Kate Thornton. She graduated from Ethel W. Knight High School and soon after met the love of her life, Hayward Tucker. The couple married and later moved to Dayton, where they raised their only child, Jennette.

Essie was a loving and devoted mother who always placed her family first. She and Hayward were faithful members of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church before transferring their membership to New Testament Baptist Church under the leadership of Reverend Raleigh Thornton Sr. At New Testament, Essie served as church secretary, choir president, and president of the MVBDA Women’s Auxiliary. She was known for her unwavering commitment, gladly doing whatever was needed to support her church family, and she and Hayward could reliably be found in their places every Sunday.

For thirty years, Essie worked at Elder-Beerman, where she managed the women’s clothing department before retiring. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Hayward Tucker, her parents Charles H. and Susie K. Thornton, and her brothers Bobby, Charles, James, and Lewis Thornton. She is survived by her daughter, Jeannette Tucker-Burch, and son-in-law, Cornell Burch, as well as her sisters Susie Easterling (Jerome) and Fannie Philon, her brothers Ruby Thornton, Raleigh Thornton Sr. (Gloria), Robert Thornton (Wilma), George Thornton, and John Thornton, along with a host of nieces, nephews, and dear friends including Vivian Arnold and Delores Devaine.