David Woodford Tucker

David Woodford Tucker will be terribly, terribly missed by his beloved family and dear friends. As well, he leaves behind an assortment of unused puns and fanciful made-up words he shared with willing and unwilling audiences alike over his many years. Never one to miss an opportunity to make us laugh, he entertained generations of listeners.

Born in Hartford, CT, to Edwin Woodford Tucker and Gertrude Tucker in April 1929 and died in San Anselmo, CA, in October 2021 from complications of advanced Parkinson’s Disease, David leaves behind his wife of 46 years Jano, his wonderful children Andrew (Leigh) and Annie, his dear grandchildren Isabel, Oliver and Ada, and brother Marshall (Carol). He was predeceased by his son Peter almost 20 years ago.

After graduating from Tabor Academy in Marion, MA, where he learned to sail, sing in a choir and conjugate Latin verbs, and then from Williams College in Williamstown, MA, where he developed a lifelong love of and appreciation for art and architecture, David served in the US Air Force in Kansas. One of his duties as First Lieutenant was to disperse weekly cash wages owed his fellow soldiers which always amused his family knowing what a fragile grasp he’d had on finances. The call “Go West, young man” was too much to resist and so he headed to California to get another degree, this time at UC Berkeley School of Architecture. While there, he was in charge of the school’s lecture series and responsible for inviting well known and respected architects to speak. One of the many stories he told was about Frank Lloyd Wright, a man of great stature but small physical frame, who held David in a stiff-armed handshake two steps below him on a staircase as to appear taller for a photo shoot. He also told of an unforgettable evening with Buckminster Fuller at La Val’s Beer Garden after a lecture about geodesic domes.

When David completed his degree, he moved to Squaw Valley to build his first house just in time for the 1960 Olympics. His intention was to design first a house in the mountains, then at the sea, and finally in the desert; but he fell in love with skiing and his wonderful friends so stayed for nearly 25 years. He designed so many houses while there that he lost count. But one of his proudest moments was as Chairman of the World Cup ski races in 1969, and even though the snowfall that season was 300% above normal, the races were a great success. He was also active on many boards over the years, from president of the Property Owners’ Association to committee member of the Squaw Valley General Plan. Many will remember David cheerfully carrying son Peter on his shoulders as he became too weak to walk, and of Annie walking ahead as their scout.

Moving his architectural practice to Marin County in 1984 proved to be challenging but David managed, with pencil in hand, to redraw the steeply sloped mountain rooflines to match the more gentle lines of the valley and coast. His wonderful office at Pier 1 1/2 in SF made up for no longer being able to ski right to his office in Squaw.

While in Marin, David found his way back to choral singing which he enjoyed for many years, first with the Winifred Baker Chorale and then the Dominican Chorale, giving and recording many wonderful recitals. He also served on the Youth in Arts Board and laid out the grid for the annual street painting in downtown San Rafael. Another honor for him was to introduce his many writer friends at their book signings at the Book Passage in Corte Madera. Never one to complain, he was always upbeat and a wonderful companion to those who knew and loved him. Contributions in David’s memory can be made to the Squaw Valley Community of Writers at P.O. Box 1416 Nevada City, CA. 95959. A memorial will be held next summer at Tahoe.