Jolly Tucker's Obituary
In Loving Memory
Jolly Whiteman Tucker, 84, of Lucas, Texas, peacefully passed on Friday, March 27, 2026 at Grand Brook Memory Care of McKinney. Jolly was born on November 22, 1941 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Tom Whiteman and Abbie Lou Meaders. She later moved to Plano, Texas, with her parents and older sister, Julia (Judy). She graduated from Plano High School and attended the University of North Texas where she joined the Chi Omega sorority and graduated with a degree in Speech Therapy. She moved to Corpus Christie where she worked as a Speech Therapist.
In 1966, she married Paul Hargrave and had 2 children, Peter and Julie. After Paul got out of the military in 1969, they settled in Dallas, Texas, where Jolly worked in Real Estate and substituted at a local elementary school. In 1979 she moved to McKinney, Texas with Peter and Julie and began working as a real estate agent for Charles McKissick. Jolly helped open The Opera House and The Pantry, before eventually opening her own restaurant in downtown McKinney, called Northside on the Square.
She met the love of her life, Doyle Tucker, in 1989 when attending the singles group at First Christian Church of Plano. The two had attended the same high school but never crossed paths. After one meeting, the group went to lunch and across the lunch table they realized their past connections. The romance developed quickly after that and the two were married in June 1990. They settled in Lucas, Texas where they created a loving place for family and friends to gather over the years.
Doyle and Jolly attended First McKinney (Baptist) Church, where they met many friends over the years, including Bob and Beth Stapleton, who were instrumental in her salvation and baptism. Beth remained a close friend and mentor to Jolly for many years. Jolly was also involved in many ministries through the church, including Angel Tree and Jail Ministry. She found great joy in teaching weekly classes to inmates at the adult and juvenile detention centers. She also began a program taking their children to camp every summer. She would raise funds to take them shopping and then everyone would load up in the 15 passenger van that she would drive out to Sky Ranch in east Texas.
Jolly is survived by her husband, Doyle Tucker, and children, Peter Hargrave and wife Angel, Julie Johnston and husband Michael, Rick Nix and wife Cindy and Kerri Wilkinson and husband Brad; grandchildren Austen, Issac, Sarah, Emmy, Abby, Tyler Hayley, Bradley, Christopher and Kaycee; and great-grandchildren Bentley, Bryson, Brody, Berek, Lillia, Tucker, Oran, Fletcher, Jeremiah, Josiah, and Abree and great-great grand-daughter Maliah. She is also survived by sister, Julia Lyda and brother Tom (Tommy) Whiteman.
She is preceded in death by her father, Tom Whiteman and her mother Abbie Lou (Williams) Meaders Hale.
A private family funeral will be held at Restland Funeral Home. A memorial will be held at FirstMcKinney (Baptist) Church for all who knew and loved her at a later date.
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