Michael Tucker

1963 - 2020

Michael Arden Tucker (Mike)

August 23, 1963 - June 7, 2020

Greenville

Michael Arden Tucker (Mike), 56, of Greenville, died on June 7, 2020, after a courageous battle with cancer.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Mike was a loving husband and father, faithful son and brother, and a kind and devoted friend to many. Mike was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1963 and was raised in Greenville, North Carolina. He was the son of Barbara Lane Tucker and Donald Hugh Tucker, M.D. At a young age, Mike wanted to be a farmer like his grandfather and namesake, Arden Tucker. Although he ultimately found his passion in business, he never lost his love for the "good earth" of eastern North Carolina, and he spent many happy times with his family and friends walking the fields in search of arrowheads, watching the sun rise from a duck blind on a cold winter morning, or just driving around the farms he visited as a boy with his grandfather.

Mike had a keen and curious intellect and he was an exceptional student and life-long learner. He was active in scouting, where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from J.H. Rose High School in 1981, where he was class Valedictorian, Student Government President and participated in baseball and cross-country. Mike attended Duke University, graduating magna cum laude in 1985 with a degree in economics. Mike served as president of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and made many life-long friends at Duke. He was cheered and comforted during his illness by the numerous personal visits, phone calls, humorous videos, song lists and reminiscences that he shared with his Duke buddies.

After college, Mike joined Bain & Company in Boston, Massachusetts, where he served as a consultant from 1985-1989. At Bain, Mike met his wife of thirty years, Heidi Flanigan Tucker. Heidi and Mike were married in 1990. They were the perfect "team," sharing a love of nature, art, travel, family and friends. They were true companions, and each made the other better.

In 1990, Mike returned to North Carolina and joined Hackney & Sons, a manufacturer of custom truck bodies and trailers, in Washington, North Carolina. Mike enjoyed a distinguished 26-year career at Hackney, serving as both President and CEO of the company. In 2018, he joined Mickey Truck Bodies in High Point, North Carolina, becoming the first non-family member to serve as President and CEO. His tenure at Mickey was cut-short by his unexpected illness in 2019, but he continued to receive the loyal support of the Mickey family even after he left the company, for which he was very grateful.

As a business leader, Mike was known for his quick grasp of strategic business issues and his clear-headed decision making. He was recognized as an expert in his industry, and he was most appreciated for his loyalty and quiet integrity, his humbleness, and his genuine warmth and compassion for his colleagues, co-workers and employees.

Mike was a life-long member of Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church where he served as an Administrative Council member.

Mike knew the importance of family and spent many enjoyable times with Heidi and his girls, Emma and Claire, at family homes in Emerald Isle and western Maine. Mike was an amazing father who loved his daughters unconditionally. He took great pride and joy in their accomplishments and their development into smart, independent and caring young women. He also knew the value of friends, with whom he shared many adventures. He was an avid sportsman and outdoorsman, and loved hunting, fishing, surfing, golf, hiking and traveling to interesting places around the world. He found equal pleasure in more quiet pastimes, including studying family history, reading, crossword puzzles, collecting art and sharing a laugh with friends, including the couples in his long-time supper club. He enjoyed a good dark and stormy cocktail, preferably while watching Blue Devils basketball or listening to his favorite music genre (classic 1980s "new wave").

Mike was preceded in death by his mother Barbara Tucker and his sister Lynn Tucker Grogan. He is survived by his wife Heidi, two wonderful daughters Emma Corinne Tucker of Washington, D.C. and Claire Johnston Tucker of Durham, father Dr. Donald H. Tucker of Greenville, brother Donald H. Tucker, Jr. and wife Mary of Raleigh, sister Susan Tucker Weaver and husband Rob of Raleigh, and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express its gratitude to Mike's team of doctors at Duke University Medical Center and to the caregivers who assisted him with love and compassion during his illness, including Tiffani Kello, and Vidant Home Health and Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to a charity of the giver's choice or to The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Fund for Hope, DUMC Box 3624, Durham, NC 27710.

Arrangements by Wilkerson Funeral Home & Crematory

Online condolences at www.wilkersonfuneralhome.com