Tucker Stevens, an educator, civic-minded Langley resident, husband and father, died Wednesday night.
He was 73.
The morning of Saturday, Oct. 26, Stevens collapsed and was taken to Whidbey General Hospital where he was airlifted to Providence Hospital in Everett. According to updates on www.caringbridge.com, made by friend Debra Campbell, Stevens was on life support for three days with all of his body functions returning to normal, except for his ability to breathe. His family, which had flown in from across the globe, was with him in his final moments before dying Oct. 29.
“He’s really going to be missed from a lot of different activities,” said Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy, who knew Stevens for years.
Known for his easy smile, conversational nature, Southern California surfer attitude and can-do spirit, Stevens is survived by his wife of 25-plus years, Kathryn, children and grandchildren. High school sweethearts, Kathryn and Tucker Stevens married and divorced young, having families on their own before reuniting years later. They had been together 25 years at the time of his death.
Stevens was a retired but active Langley resident who served on the city’s Civil Service Commission for one year, the Historic Preservation Commission for two years, and once the city’s Parks and Open Space Commission for three years. Fred McCarthy, Langley’s mayor and a member of the informal Langley men’s club, said he often relished in afternoon visits to the Stevens’ Third Street home and looking out over the town and Saratoga Passage from their backyard deck.
“A whole lot of informal problems got solved by the leaders of the community meeting on that deck,” McCarthy said.
As a member of the Langley Community Club, Stevens helped resurrect the once-defunct Soup Box Derby downhill race. It has since gone strong for 12 years since 2002 with Stevens as club president and a driving force behind the event’s return and growth.
“It was non-existent for a few years but he brought all that back too,” said John Lawson, president of the community club and Stevens’ friend.
Other less high-profile works can be attributed to Stevens’ can-do attitude. Earlier this year, a car destroyed the oft-photographed booth in the Star Store parking lot. Within days, Stevens and several men from the community club had repaired and restored the red booth, without muss or fuss.
“He had just decided that he loved Langley; this is the kind of way he thought a community ought to be,” McCarthy said.
Stevens had a long career in education. He retired as a school superintendent but started as a teacher and administrator. Even after retirement, Stevens filled in as a substitute teacher for the South Whidbey School District.
In October, Stevens participated in the annual Friends of Friends Mr. South Whidbey contest. The fundraiser brought in $18,000 to help cover medical costs for people in need on Whidbey Island.
His death came as a surprise to many, who were able to share their condolences and sympathy online. A posting on the site www.caringbridge.com about Stevens’ death had 79 comments made between the post’s timestamp of 10:16 a.m. Oct. 29 and Friday morning.
Kathryn Stevens, his wife, said the family is planning a community event for mid-November, but the details have yet to be finalized.
