Florence Jean (Pedrolini) Tucker

Florence Jean (Pedrolini) Tucker

April 27, 1927 – September 28, 2022

A force of nature herself, Jean died at age 95 of heart failure, during a hurricane bearing the same name as her oldest grandchild. The world has seemed as if the wind was sucked out of it ever since. She was the 12th of 14 children born to immigrants Rosa (DelMolino) and Bartolomeo Pedrolini of the tiny mountain village of Postalesio in northern Italy, inherited their scrappy, smart and industrious nature and was the last of all the siblings to leave this earth.

Vibrant, over-the-top, joyful and sometimes gloriously difficult, Jean lived life on her own terms. A three-time cancer survivor, she went to work to earn the money to pay for her first tumor removal at age 16. She grew up in Plainville, Connecticut, graduated from high school there and fell in love with her Irish neighbor, Lewis Burke Tucker – a star athlete and WWII Marine scout seven years her senior, and as calm and steady as she was fiery. To her everlasting surprise and delight, he felt the same way about her and they married on August 16, 1947.

They both worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Southington, but she had the stronger ambitions and rose to become the plant payroll supervisor in charge of compensating thousands of employees, and a mentor to many. Her drive, determination, shrewd instincts and saving habits enabled the family to buy a first home on Stillwell Drive in Plainville – which her beloved “Lew” extensively renovated – and then a larger one on Quail Hollow Drive in Southington, plus a summer cottage near the beach in Westbrook, Connecticut that was the site of many fond family memories. She loved her three children fiercely, but also insisted on continuing to work full-time while raising them, for her job was an important part of her as well. Her business acumen and knack for figures never left her, and even in her last months, she would still instantly spot and correct errors on paperwork.

Jean was a maker of inventive and irresistible salads and the best Easter pie, turkey roll and stuffed shells (studded with tiny meatballs) you have ever tasted. The spreads she set out for company were not only delicious, but also works of art, and she had a hidden talent for sketching also. She was a snazzy dresser who favored bright colors, flashes of gold and animal prints, and will be buried in them.

Jean adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and bragged about them unabashedly. Photos of her loved ones were among her greatest treasures. She could not get enough of flowers as well and was fascinated by both the plant and animal world. Her favorite expressions were “go fry ice” and others that we cannot share in polite company. She was outrageous, energetic, strong, blunt and loud. She was unmistakably who she was.

After her Lew died suddenly on January 17, 1985 – ironically, during another historic weather event that was one of the worst snowstorms ever to hit Connecticut – Jean grew weary of the northern cold. By the early 1990s, she wanted a fresh start and impulsively decided to buy a home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, which she thoroughly enjoyed for nearly 30 years – and where family visited her frequently – until she checked herself into the hospital two days before her passing.

Jean was a devoted Catholic who prayed and said her rosary daily, attended mass weekly and participated fully in her parish communities, at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Plainville (just down the street from the home where she was born), then at St Dominic’s Church in Southington and most recently at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens. She was active in her senior citizen’s club, made many friends, travelled extensively and never stopped marveling over the thrill she found in the thrust of an airplane’s engines.

When Jean was debating earlier this year about whether to move back north near family, she admitted that she still preferred independence and her “beautiful life in Florida.” She was fortunate to have two likewise remarkable and resourceful women, Antoinette Montgomery and Dale Goins, serve as her caregivers during her last months. They appreciated her intensity and zest for life, did everything possible to help make her remaining days fun and meaningful and were there for her until the end.

Jean leaves to cherish her memory her children Lewis Burke Tucker Jr. of Clinton, Connecticut, Mary Elizabeth Tucker of Land O’ Lakes, Florida and John Charles Tucker and his wife Sarah Hall of Plymouth, Wisconsin; grandchildren Ian Burke Tucker and his wife Lori, Scott Lewis Peters and his wife Megan, Sean Thomas Peters, Lewis Daniel Tucker and Calyssa Yadira Hall; great-grandchildren Benjamin Tucker, William Tucker, Luke Peters and Logan Peters and many nieces, nephews and other family and friends.

She was predeceased by her husband Lewis Burke Tucker Sr.; daughter-in-law Lynn Tucker; sisters Mary Sharr, Adelina Allen, Ida Bakaysa, Frances Braiewa, Rita Sears and three others who died in infancy and brothers Giacomo, Albert, John, George and Dominic Pedrolini.

Visitation will be held on Friday, October 21 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Plainville Funeral Home, 81 Broad Street, Plainville. A Catholic prayer service will begin at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, 169 Farmington Avenue, Plainville, where Jean will be laid to rest next to her husband.

Donations may be made in Jean’s memory to Our Lady of Mercy Church, 19 South Canal St., Plainville, CT, 06062 or to the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 9999 North Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33410. To visit Jean’s tribute page for more information or to leave online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PlainvilleFuneralHome.com.

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