Maria Elena Tucker

Maria Elena Tucker, 77, born on April 1, 1940, in Contla, Jalisco, Mexico, passed away January 20, 2018. She resided in Thermal, California at the time of her passing. She spent her early childhood in the rural town of Contla, a few hours outside of Guadalajara, Mexico. In this tiny town where everyone still knows everyone, she spent her days playing in the creek, climbing trees, and visiting the townsfolk whenever she could get away. One of her getaways was the local elementary school. She was too young to attend, but she loved it so much she would constantly sneak away from home to visit the school. At the school, they would make her sing before they let her have a pencil and papers. Her favorite subject was history. She loved to hear the stories of what had been.

When she got older her family began traveling from Mexico and across the Western United States following crops seasons. Soon enough her siblings would come along and she dedicated herself to working to make sure they had shoes and clothes to go to school. She figured if she could not go, she would make sure her siblings did. With her parents and siblings, she picked plums and peaches in Northern California and grapes, dates and citrus in Southern California. However, her favorite kind of picking was picking flowers and interesting plants, wherever, she saw them. She also had a knack for growing roses. Anyone that came to visit was sure to get a tour of her rose garden when they were in season.

She was no stranger to Oregon, Washington, even Texas. Everywhere she went there was hard honest work to do. Her family eventually settled in the Coachella Valley where she met the love of her life, George Tucker. They first met when she was 17, but she paid him no mind. But he was love-struck, and even though she left on one of her last "tours" of the Western US, he could not get her out of his heart and mind. He waited for her. She was the prettiest girl around and he a chubby hard-working young man. He persisted and insisted until she accepted him. He knew her heart was with her family, so he too had to love them. When they would go on dates, several of her sisters had to come along as escorts. He did not mind and came to love them, and her mom as his own family. They loved him back. His mother-in-law became his second mom, inviting him to second breakfast every day at her house.

Soon enough Maria Elena's family grew; she had four children, Jesus, who died at birth, Jorge, Leticia, and Irene. And later she had another girl, born in her heart, Isabel. She was the quiet little girl next door that needed so much love. Maria had so much to give, so she did. But that was not quite it, she also became a second mom to neighborhood kids, like the Ortega family. Her brother Rafael (RIP), and sisters, Elma, Estela, Alicia and Felipa (Gela) expanded the family by giving my mom a brood of nieces and nephews. Her brother Reynaldo remained the obstinate bachelor.

Maria was so very proud of her children. Jorge and Leticia are math teachers, Irene is a leader in her career in the Riverside County court system, and Isabel got her degree in Psychology and uses her skills to help others in need. But what she is most proud of is the love and caring they have for each other. She would always say that nobody knew, but she was truly a millionaire. This love her children learned from her and her sisters and brothers. Every Sunday and holiday the family gathered to laugh, talk and have coffee, and still do to this day.

Irene married, Peter, and gave Maria four grandchildren, Elena, Vanessa, Sammy, and Gabriel, whom she adored, and they adored her. They all have something from her: Elena loves traditional Mexican dance, Vanessa sings like a bird, Sammy has the green thumb, and Gabriel inherited her love of adventure (nobody could climb a tree like Maria, even into her 60s!) Eventually, Jorge, who had been secretly in love with Isabel the whole time, married her and made it official… She finally had the Tucker last name, as she should have had a long time before. Lastly, Leticia would bring into Maria's life, Jonathan, whom Maria called Letica's Gordo.

Her love and compassion were not just reserved for her family. She extended it to everyone she encountered. One of my favorite memories of her is an instance when we were in a hospital snack room. There was a lady talking on the payphone crying her heart out, as her son had just been in a terrible motorcycle accident and she was all alone. My mama went right up to where this sad lady was sitting and put her arms around her. The lady leaned in and cried with my mom. My mama just held her until she stopped crying.

See, this is truly who my mom, Maria Elena Tucker (Serrano), was. A compassionate, beautiful, loving, adventurous, warm soul. I was blessed to have her as a mother. If you are reading this, then I hope you were blessed to know her too.

There is so much more I could share; however that would entail writing a book! But if you are curious or would like to share a story of your own, I invite you to come visit us on any Sunday. You will see my mama's spirit in everyone there.

So we know that God took her to that beautiful place. And, there, in heaven, some of those that were waiting for her arrival were: Her mom, Juana Serrano; father, Rafael Serrano; her tia, Josefina Sanabria; her brother, Rafael Serrano Jr.; Nephews, Julian Mendez, Raul Alvarez, and Daniel Sanabria; Her best friends, Beatriz Monge, Amelia Benavidez. And she will finally be able to cuddle with her special little boy, Jesus Tucker.

She will be tending gardens, and such, to prepare a place for: Her husband, George M. Tucker; children, Jorge Tucker, Isabel Tucker, Irene Tucker Ruiz (Peter Ruiz), Leticia Tucker (Jonathan Mickle); grandchildren, Elena Ruiz, Cristina Vanessa Ruiz, Samuel Ruiz, and Gabriel Ruiz; her siblings, Reynaldo Serrano, Elma Alvarez, Estela Ontiveros, Alicia Navarro, Felipa (Gela) Diaz. And so many more like Juan and Alicia Sanabria, Elizabeth Alvarez, her Tia Esther Magallon from Guadalajara, and all her nieces and nephews.

Mama, I can't wait to see you again!

Finally, her children and grandchildren would like to give special thanks to everyone that helped take care of Mom these last few months. When we couldn't, there was always someone one there to take her to the doctor's, just to be there to make sure she was never alone, or take her out of town or to a restaurant to see her smile. Especially Elma Alvarez, and Alicia Sanabria, they not only took care of her physical needs making sure she took her medication, ate her meals, and never left the house without a sweater, they also showed her love in every moment of her day, kissing her, talking with her, and taking her to her midnight Sunday outing to the "little" casino. There are no words to truly express the immense debt gratitude that is owed to all of you. Thank you, from our broken grateful hearts, thank you.

FINAL SERVICES
Monday, January 29, 2018
Viewing and Rosary: 8 AM - 11 AM, Forest Lawn Mortuary, 51990 Jackson St, Coachella, CA 92236
Funeral Mass: 12 Noon, Our Lady of Soledad,52525 Oasis, Coachella, CA
Burial: Directly following mass, 82925 Avenue 52, Coachella, CA