Eldena Tucker

Eldena Tucker, age 90 of Gatesville, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at the Meadows Nursing Home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, October 24, 2025 at Scott’s Funeral Home with Pastor Kurt Fuessel officiating. Interment at Forest Oaks Memorial Park in Austin will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, 2025. The family will receive visitors one hour prior to services on Friday at the funeral home.

Eldena Tucker was born October 14, 1935 to the late William Hiram and Gracie Wills Perkins in Burnet, Texas. She grew up and attended school in Austin. When she was only 15 years old, she met the love of her life, Melvin Tucker Sr., who was 16 at the time. They were married on March 31, 1951 and together created a loving bond that lasted for the next 56 years until Melvin’s passing in 2007. Eldena worked in the food service division for the Austin Independent School District for 32 years before her retirement. In 1997, she and Melvin moved to Gatesville, where she spent the next ten years working as a substitute in the food service division for Gatesville Independent School District. Eldena was passionate about the children she cared for and made sure that every child had a meal, whether they were able to pay for it or not. Even while living with dementia at the nursing home, Eldena always imagined herself continuing to bake cookies and other sweets for her children at school. She loved her family dearly and enjoyed preparing meals for them and keeping a clean house. Eldena never met a stranger and enjoyed spending time with her many friends, but for anyone who knew her, she was always straight forward and never had a problem telling you exactly what she thought. She also loved animals, especially dogs, and was well known in her neighborhood as being the “dog lady”. Eldena was a current member of Mountain Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Melvin Tucker Sr.; son, Billy Lee Tucker and wife, Joy; daughter, Linda Tucker Bell; and siblings, Ina Bea Hanley, D.A. Perkins, Bobby Perkins, Chris Perkins, J.D. Perkins, Dink Wunneburger, Pat Wiruscheske, Elsie Whitehead, Claudeen Hoffman, and Joyce Staudt.

Eldena is survived by her daughter, Diana Darlene Tucker of Gatesville; son, Melvin Tucker Jr. of Elgin; sister, Gloria Hoffman of Lockhart; grandchildren, Eddie Bertram, Tricia Greene, Jamie Haywood, J.W. Tucker, and Cody Henry; and many great grandchildren; and several great great-grandchildren.

Eldena's family wish to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at the Meadows and to Bluebonnet Hospice for the care given to their mother.