Bernice Louise Tucker, 94, of Panama, died on Monday, March 16, 2026, at her home, surrounded by her family.
Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday, March 20, at the Assalley Funeral Home, located at 117 Walnut St. in Panama. A funeral will follow the visitation with Pastor Ray Snider officiating. Burial will follow in Union Cemetery in Panama.
Mrs. Tucker was born on Aug. 10, 1931, in Bond County, just east of Donnellson, the daughter of Orville Mervin and Lorraine Elizabeth (Pate) Garwood. She married Robert C. ‘Bob’ Howard on July 2, 1949. This union brought forth two children: Jeffrey and Jodee. They later divorced in 1958.
She then shared her life with her soulmate, Robert E. ‘Bob’ Tucker, marrying on Aug. 31, 1984 and shared 13 wonderful years together until his passing on Sept. 25, 1997.
After graduating from the Hillsboro class of 1948, Mrs. Tucker went on to get her realtor and broker licenses and she sold real estate in Decatur. Later, she obtained her beautician’s license, running a beauty shop on the square of Sullivan and at St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur. After meeting Mr. Tucker, she moved to Savannah, GA, for his job advancement and while there, was married to the love of her life.
The couple returned to Panama, bought her parents’ family home, remodeled it and enjoyed “retirement.” There, her husband built her a little shop on her front porch to do the hair of the ladies of Panama, which Mrs. Tucker continued well into her 70s. She also was an excellent seamstress, even selling her designs in her shop.
The grandchildren liked to refer to Mrs. Tucker as the ‘fashionista’ grandma. She always dressed well when going out and took pride in her appearance. Mrs. Tucker was very social, had a fun personality and had a great sense of humor. She enjoyed working on game puzzles, going out to nice dinners and dancing.
Family was one of the biggest joys in her life. Mrs. Tucker loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren more than anything. If one spoke to her for even a short moment, one would know that and probably hear a story or two whether one wanted to or not.
Church and social gatherings were also very important to her. Mrs. Tucker was a long-standing member of the United Methodist Church, Ladies Auxiliary VFW #6628 and Senior Citizens and even started the Bunco groups in Panama.
Mrs. Tucker was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Robert; brothers, Thomas and Leslie Garwood; and stepchildren, Jan Lawrence, Mark Titus and Mike Titus.
Mrs. Tucker is survived by her children, Jeffrey Howard of Panama; Jodee (Russell) Johnson of Mt. Zion; and stepdaughter, Kathyrn (Sonny) Phipps of Black Mountain, NC; grandchildren, Rusty (Haley) Johnson, Kristy Johnson and Shannon (Shanon) Borntrager, all of Mt. Zion; great-grandchildren, Aralynn, Ayla, Baylor, Cameron, Mazelynn and Alex; and sister-in-law, Sandra Garwood of Litchfield.
In lieu of flowers, plants and other gifts, the family requests memorials to the Montgomery County Senior Citizens in memory of Mrs. Tucker. Memorial donations may be given at the visitation or mailed to Montgomery County Senior Citizens, 8583 IL 127, Taylor Springs, IL 62089. The family has entrusted Perfetti-Assalley Funeral Home in Panama with the ceremony. Please visit www.assalleyfuneralhomes.com to share memories or offer condolences to the family.
