Richard G. “Rick” Tucker, 78, well known retired Parsons attorney, died at 10:15 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025 at the Parsons Presbyterian Manor.
He was born Sept. 13, 1946, in Chanute, to George and Bonita (Johnson) Tucker. The family lived in Tokyo, Japan from 1947 to 1951 and in Parsons from 1951.
Rick graduated from Parsons High School in 1964. During his youth, he was active in sports and in scouting, earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 1960. He graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in History in 1970 and from Washburn University Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1973. He also served in the United States Navy.
On July 17, 1971, he and Jane McDermed were married at the earlier location of the Erie Christian Church. After their marriage, they lived in Erie while Rick was with the Fleming and Forsyth Law Firm from 1973 to 1977. In 1977, he established the Law Office of Richard Tucker in Parsons and from 2004 until 2019 he was a partner in the Tucker and Markham, LLC law firm in Parsons.
Rick was admitted to the Kansas Supreme Court, the United States District Court – Kansas and the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals – Denver. He was a member of the Kansas Bar Association from 1973 and was a Fellow of the Kansas Bar Foundation. He was a member of the Kansas Association of Justice and had been city attorney for St. Paul and Oswego, as well as Parsons Municipal Judge.
In scouting, he had been assistant scout master of Troop 232 in Erie and scout master of Troop 2 in Parsons. He was a member and past president of the Parsons Rotary Club and was a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. Among his other many interests were the SEK Audubon Society and serving on the Audubon of Kansas Board of Trustees, the Kansas Ornithological Society, the Parsons Area Amateur Radio Club. He held an amateur Radio Extra Class License – call sign WORT, and was a lifelong member of the American Radio Relay League.
For 19 years, he served on the U.S.D. 506 School Board. He was a member of the First Assembly of God Church and had served on the Board of Deacons.
Survivors are his wife, Jane Tucker; his three children, Janell Houk (Anthony) of Parsons, Jonathan Tucker (Stacy) of Derby and Justin Tucker (Heidi) of Humboldt; grandchildren, Brett Houk (Megan), Ethan Houk (Emily), Eli Tucker, Kierstyn Houk, Kinley Tucker, Andrew Houk, Lincoln Tucker, William Tucker and Gentry Tucker; great grandsons, Hye Houk and Hunter Houk; sister, Linda Pfingsten of Sun City West, Arizona, and brothers, Ronald Tucker (Debbi) of Excelsior Springs, Missouri and John Tucker of Los Lunas, New Mexico.
He was preceded in death by his parents, infant sister, Bonnie, brother-in-law, Ron Pfingsten, nephew, Aaron Pfingsten, and sister-in-law, Barb Tucker.
The funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the First Assembly of God Church, with Rev. Steve Crawford and David Keaton officiating. The flag presentation will be given by the Brown-Bishop Post # 704, Veterans of Foreign Wars. The family received friends at the Carson-Wall Funeral Home from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 25.
Memorials are suggested to the First Assembly of God Church, the Parsons Area Community Foundation, or the American Radio Relay League. They may be left at or sent to the Carson-Wall Funeral Home, P. O. Box 942, Parsons, KS, 67357. Online messages may be left at www.wallfuneralservices. com.
