Maud Taylor Tucker

We are gathered this afternoon to bear witness to the resurrection, the resurrection of all who are buried in Jesus Christ the Lord and the resurrection of Maud Taylor Tucker. Maud died on Wednesday morning, following a stroke she suffered early last month.  She was 79.

Maud Taylor was born in Morristown, Tennessee, the daughter of John and Agnes (Nancy) Blair Taylor.  She was raised an only child, her brother having died in infancy.  Her father was an accountant and a talented musician.  When she was three, her family moved to Greensboro, NC, which became her home.  Maud graduated from Greensboro Senior High School in 1945, and entered the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina, taking a business course degree in 1949.

Maud worked for law firms in Nashville, Tennessee and Spartanburg, SC, before returning to Greensboro.   There she married Richard Mizell and began their family. They had two sons, Richard and Robert.

The family moved to Richmond in 1956 when Richard, hearing a call to the ministry, entered Union Theological Seminary.  That year turned out to be a significant one for Maud, for that year she took a part-time job at First Presbyterian Church, which eventually became her full-time employer and place of service to the church for over 27 years.

After Richard graduated from Union he accepted a call to Greenwich Presbyterian Church in Nokesville, VA.  Maud, Richard, and the boys returned to Richmond in 1964, when Richard was called to Southminster Presbyterian Church.  Maud and Richard Mizell divorced in 1970.  Maud returned to employment at First Presbyterian, where she worked until she retired in 1995.  Along the way Maud served the church faithfully and with distinction, being accorded the title of the “little general” by the student interns of First Presbyterian.  She also earned the certification as a Presbyterian Church Secretary.

Maud’s ministry at First Presbyterian Church was an important part of her life.  The Rev Jack Sadler, the last pastor there with whom she worked told me, “I remember Maud fondly and give thanks to God for her dedication for keeping me (and most of the remaining) in line.  I know that the letters, articles, bulletins and sermons which I wrote were greatly polished by her skills.  More than once we had heated arguments of syntax and sentence structure – and nine times out of ten she prevailed…I truly appreciated Maud as a friend and as a colleague.  She made my life a whole lot easier – and she made First Presbyterian more ‘user friendly’.”

Back in January 1972, a local bridge club was short a couple of players.  Maud’s cousin, Marion Line and her husband Lloyd invited Maud to fill in. Meanwhile, friends of Bill Tucker invited him to fill in. The two lived within blocks of each other. Their sons had gone to school together and been in the same Scout troop.  But the two bridge players were not even casual acquaintances. Love trumped the cards that night.  Three months later Maud and Bill Tucker married, and enjoyed early 35 years of marriage together.

Maud was a quiet, unassuming woman, whose modesty and gracefulness masked her active mind, drive, and effectiveness.  She was a queen of organization before “organizing” was popular.  Whether managing her household or the appointment schedule of a big city high steeple pastor, playing a hand of bridge or coaching her sons with their schoolwork, Maud found a way to get it done.

Maud kept up with things.  She had already purchased the birthday gifts of her grandchildren and great grandchildren for the entire year!  Typically she gave books, beautiful, challenging, stimulating books particular for each child’s interests.

Maud loved music, and she acted on her love. She was a patron and promoter of her church’s concert series and enjoyed the theatre, particularly musical theatre.  Maud sang in the Richmond Choral Society for over 30 years and her church choir for 35 years.  She played the piano and introduced her boys to music – one of whom became a professional musician.

Maud established, maintained, and treasured deep relationships.  Among her friendships, some lasted practically her whole life.  Early in her marriage to Bill her welcoming warmth brought two step sons into her life.  Later in life she welcomed her aging mother in law into her home for 11 years.  And of course she kept close to her two sons, despite the distance to their homes and their pursuits.

A lifelong Presbyterian, Maud’s devotion to the Church was both professional and personal.  She served the church actively as a professional.  At different times she also was her church’s choir director.  She was an officer in Presbyterian Women and active in her circle. Over the years she taught Sunday School and was a youth advisor.  She was an ordained elder in the Bon Air Presbyterian church, chairing the congregational care division.  When a meal or help at a reception was needed, Maud was there.

Bill and Maud formed a quiet couple who treasured gentle companionship.  Weeks at the beach.  A night at the theatre.  Dinner with good friends.  Gentle traveling around Virginia.  In her retirement, this was her good life.  We know what you have lost, Bill, and our hearts and prayers are with you.

Maud is survived by her husband, William S. Tucker, two sons, Richard J. Mizell and his wife Bonnie, and Robert B. Mizell; two stepsons, W. Stuart Tucker, Jr. and his wife Julie, and James R. Tucker and his wife Cathy; eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren; an extended family and a large circle of friends.

Having gathered for our mutual support and comfort and to hear the witness of the scriptures, let us worship God:

R. Charles Grant

Bon Air Presbyterian Church

Richmond, Virginia