Station 69 Firefighter Remembered With Flag Ceremony, Memorial Service

A flag ceremony was held in honor of the late Firefighter III Richard G. Tucker, who died while off duty on March 12 in Valencia. Tucker worked out of Los Angeles Fire Department Station 69, which was where the ceremony took place.

Friends and family gathered to remember Tucker’s service to his community and the city of Los Angeles, saluting as his flag was folded and given to his daughter, Mackenzie, while his younger daughter, Emaleea, held the Bible.

Tucker’s wife, Carol, was also in attendance, describing the loss she felt as “unfathomable.” The two had been married for 37 years.

A memorial service for Tucker on Friday, March 22, drew over 500 people to the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Los Angeles. Tucker, an 18-year veteran of the LAFD, was the most recent addition to Fire Station 69, serving the Palisades for five years.

He also had a construction and handyman background, and was actively involved in various station projects.

Fire Station 69 Captain Jeff Brown called Tucker “a hard working, contributing firefighter … who will be greatly missed.” The LA Firemen’s Relief Association posted on the day of his memorial: “Thank you for your service, Richard G. Tucker; we mourn your loss.”

“RIP Brother,” read one comment on the page. “RIP LAFD Firefighter Richard Tucker. May God watch over you and your family,” read another.

“He was our firefighter,” Station 69 Commanding Officer Tommy Kitahata told the Palisadian-Post. “He was a good-standing member of the department. He’d been all over the city, in the Valley, South Central, downtown, Echo Park, Mid-City, here. He was an expert woodworker, a motorcycle rider, a mechanic, a fly-fisher and he was well-loved by us all.”

Tucker’s daughter Emaleea, a student at Washington State University, is currently studying criminology and psychology, hoping to eventually join the LAFD to help families who have similarly lost loved ones in the department.

A page was established to help fund Emaleea’s college tuition. Donate at gofundme.com/f/education-fund-for-emaleea-tucker.