Gayle Tankersley Rucker

Gayle Tankersley Rucker, age 87, of Gatesville, passed away on Saturday, July 25, in Waco, Texas, with her daughters by her side. Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church, Gatesville, on Friday, July 31, 2026, at 11:00 AM, with Rev. Kipling Osborne officiating. Visitation will be in the church parlor one hour before the service. Burial will follow at Clifton Memorial Park, Clifton, Texas, at 1:00 PM.

She was born Ora Gayle Tankersley on April 12, 1939, in Clifton, Texas, to the late Maylon John Tankersley and Rosa Lee Carpenter Tankersley. She, along with her brother, Bobby, grew up in Clifton. She graduated from Clifton High School in 1957. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Clifton, where she was baptized on May 25, 1952. It was there that she met and married her future husband, H.K. “Bill” Rucker, serving on the search committee that called him to be the music director.

Gayle and Bill were married on August 24, 1963. They moved to Gatesville, and became members of First Baptist Church, Gatesville, where Gayle would be a member until her death. Together, they welcomed two daughters, Phyllis and Carol. They were married just shy of 54 years before Bill’s death in 2017.

Gayle worked in many clerical positions throughout her career, including secretary at Gatesville ISD, the State School for Boys and First Baptist Church. She retired in 2006 from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles as clerical supervisor, with over 20 years of service.

Gayle loved sports, and she enjoyed attending Gatesville high school basketball and volleyball games, as she was an avid high school athlete herself. As an adult, she enjoyed playing in the local volleyball league. Although recreational, the Shamrocks were as competitive and dominant as any professional team. She cheered for the Baylor Bears and yelled at the Dallas Cowboys, more often than not. In their retirement years, Gayle and Bill enjoyed traveling to Branson with their best friends, Lynita and Bob Salter. But more than anything, she enjoyed watching her grandchildren participate in their various activities. She cheered at each game, attended every recital and smiled proudly at every awards ceremony until her health would no longer allow.

She is survived by daughters, Phyllis Gayle Alexander, and husband Mark of Robinson; Carol Lee Plant, and husband Steve of Plano; brother Bobby Tankersley, and wife Peggy of Burleson; grandchildren Katherine Gayle Tyra, and husband Ian, Trevor Kendall Plant and Rachel Lee Plant; great-grandsons, Leo Wade Tyra and Braxton Wayne Tyra, who is due this September; numerous nieces and nephews and countless lifelong friends.

Phyllis and Carol would like to express their sincere thanks to Gayle’s close neighbors and friends, Joanie and Mike Campbell and Francis and Joe Orbeck, who looked after and helped her these past few years. They also wish to thank the wonderful staff at The Delaney Lake Waco Assisted Living Community, Brookdale Lake Brazos-Clare Bridge Memory Care, and Compassus Hospice for the care and compassion they provided.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 912 E. Main St., Gatesville, Texas, 76528, or the national Alzheimer’s Association.

Pallbearers will be Gayle’s nephews, Randy Cunningham, Greg Tankersley, Brett Tankersley and Darren Tankersley; grandson, Trevor Plant and grandson-in-law, Ian Tyra.