Janet May Tucker's Obituary
Janet Marie May Tucker, 94, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of her family and friends at Tallahassee's Big Bend Hospice Dozier House on October 2, 2025. She was born on December 11, 1930, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Elijah Coakley May and Allyne Walker May.
From her earliest days, Jan had a zest for life that shone through in everything she did. A natural athlete, she excelled at baseball and softball, playing the game she loved well into adulthood and forming cherished friendships on every diamond she touched. Her passion for the sport led her to coach girls' softball, where she inspired the next generation. Jan's active spirit never dimmed—she could be found bicycling, walking, and challenging family and friends to spirited games of cornhole and ping pong into her 90s.
Jan was as sharp in the classroom as she was on the field, earning valedictorian honors and the respect of all who knew her. She met and married Franklin Gus Tucker, a sailor, and together they traveled to distant ports including Guam and Key West, building a beautiful life and raising two beloved daughters. After Frank's retirement from the Navy, they made their home in Melbourne, Florida where they lived for 50 years. In later years, Jan worked with RGIS as an inventory specialist, forming friendships that would last a lifetime.
In 2018, Jan moved to Tallahassee to be closer to her family, a gift they treasured. She filled her days with simple pleasures: losing herself in a good book, piecing together jigsaw puzzles, and outwitting opponents at strategic card games. In earlier years, she loved time on the water—water skiing, fishing, shrimping, and even mastering the craft of making cast nets and bait nets by hand. Most of all, she loved a gentle breeze, especially an ocean breeze.
Jan's love for life and her warm, devoted spirit touched everyone fortunate enough to know her. As a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, she created a legacy of love that will continue to ripple through the lives of all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Frank, her daughter Deborah Tucker Sowers, and her brother Henry Dexter “Hank” May. She is survived by her sister Mary Loucile “Marylou” May, daughter Denise Tucker Rodenbough, granddaughter Kelly Goodman, grandson Zachary Rodenbough, and many cherished cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Services are being arranged by her family. Jan will be laid to rest beside her husband at Fountainhead Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Palm Bay, Florida.
Those wishing to honor Jan's memory may consider a gift to Big Bend Hospice, whose compassionate care brought her comfort in her final days: https://bigbendhospice.org/foundation/donate/
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