Nolan Lee Tucker was born in Murdo, South Dakota to Lonnie and Edna (Stevens) Tucker on January 9, 1940. Nolan grew up and went to school in White River, South Dakota. Nolan did a lot of things in his lifetime, throughout several states. He spent a lot of time in Alaska working on pipelines, carpentry work, and also a lot of painting. Nolan spent the last sixteen years around White River and Wood. “No matter what you do, always do it with Pride,” was a favorite quote of Nolan’s which is evident in the work that he did. Nolan was the ‘Jack of All Trades.’ He not only took pride in his business, but truly relished the friends he made during his time in business. Nolan was quite particular and was not satisfied until his projects looked mighty good. Up until the last year when his health began to fail him, he would take on anything. One of his last jobs was painting the old White River High School. We do not know how he did it, but he got it done. And as always, it looked good!
Nolan will always be remembered by those who knew him as a tough, stubborn guy who had a heart of gold. He was always looking out for the “other” guy and would give you the shirt off his back — if that’s what it took. He was generous with his heart and time. He enjoyed volunteering and sharing his talents with local organizations and Mellette County Museum. Nolan loved his sports, especially football and basketball and continued to follow the teams from White River. Every spring, he looked forward to making the trek to Aberdeen to cheer on the Tigers. Nolan also enjoyed spending time at family events, playing cards, pitching horse shoes, interacting with children and animals. Family gatherings always made Nolan smile and especially when he heard, “I wuv you Uncle Nolan!,” from younger family members.
Everyone who remembers him, is asked to celebrate Nolan’s life in their own way. Enjoying a cup of coffee and a bag of popcorn with the Dollar Daze crew, in his memory would be quite appropriate! And, whoever you meet make sure you say, “Good Morning”- anytime of the day!
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