Josephine M. Tucker (“Jojo”), 83, of Oak Bluffs, passed away on March 3, 2022. She was the wife of Philip A. Tucker, who passed away in 2015.
Jojo was born on August 14, 1938, in her family home in Tisbury to Mary Silvia and Peter Moreis. Throughout her life, Jojo was a jack-of-all-trades. She was the head of housekeeping at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, served the Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven police departments, was a court officer for the Sheriff’s Foundation, and she ran her own cleaning business, Dustbusters.
Jojo was always trying to help others, and took pride in her volunteer work. Her community involvement was extensive, but she was especially proud of her work at the Island Food Pantry and St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. She was also the president of the Woodside Resident Association.
One thing Jojo was especially proud of was her sobriety. She was sober for more than 33 years, and was proud of her work with the Vineyard House to help others struggling with sobriety.
Faith was always important to Jojo. She served as a Eucharistic minister for many years at three different parishes — Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. Augustine’s, and Good Shepherd. Jojo also delivered Communion to the sick and the elderly. Even when she was wearing oxygen full-time, she still handed out Communion in church. Jojo was an old school Catholic, and believed heartily in confession. One time she had her family in stitches when she “lied” to the priest so she had something to confess to!
Jojo found love a little later than most when she fell in love with Philip. Jojo and Pop-Pop blended two families into one when they married in 1976. Jojo loved all of us children equally. They were married for 40 years, until Phil passed in 2015. It is a comfort to know that she is now reunited with him and all of our other loved ones.
She was a lot of things to a lot of people, but for Trish and Marla, she was just Mom. She was their hero; she gave them their fierce strength, their unconditional love of family, their generosity, and their stubbornness. Josephine was so proud of her two girls. The three of them were as close as could be. Like every family, they had their disagreements, but at the end of the day they always knew they had one another. When they weren’t physically together, they were on the phone at least three times a day, talking about anything and everything. There were no secrets between Jojo and her two girls.
What Jojo was most proud of, even more so than her girls, was her grandchildren, Lake and Kalyn. At her home, there’s quite a shrine to these two, their pictures covering every square inch. Her bond with her grandchildren was undeniable. Her favorite times were times spent with Lake and Kalyn. She loved to sing loudly along while Lake played her favorite tunes, or get her hands dirty in the kitchen making sweet bread with Kalyn. There was nothing that excited her more than receiving a call from one of her two favorite people.
With her sons-in-law Dave and Andre, Jojo lucked into not one but two fabulous chefs. They loved cooking for Jojo, and always made her a special batch of whatever they were cooking that was just to her liking — not too spicy! Dave and Andre loved and cared for Jojo as they would their own mothers, and she cared for them as if they were her own as well.
Jojo wanted to celebrate every holiday — every birthday was a major occasion! No matter where she lived, Jojo’s house was the hub, always filled with lots of friends and family. Jojo shared a special bond with her sisters Anna Mae, Cinny, Midge, and Lena. They formed a bowling team called Mary’s Girls, and were later nicknamed the Tisters. Everyone knew they were inseparable, and the love they shared was admired by many. Jojo shared a special bond with her brothers, too: T.M., Joe, David, Peter, Julio, John, Billy, Jimmy, Raymond, and Paulie.
Jojo was especially close to her nieces Marie, Wanda, Heather, and Nancy who shared staycations, ladies’ luncheons, and parties of every sort! Jojo made everyone feel like they were her favorite brother, sister, niece, nephew, child, or grandchild. That was one of the best things about Jojo; she always made sure you felt special. That is because each of us was special to her.
Jojo was a goofball. You couldn’t be around Jojo and not have a smile on your face. From dressing up in ballgowns to joking about her death party, Jojo went through life with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her lips.
It’s always tough to say goodbye to those we love, but what’s most important is that hers was a life well lived. She laughed, she loved, and everyone she met was a new friend. She cared deeply about her family and her Island community. She wouldn’t want us to mourn her passing, but instead to celebrate her life, today and every day.
Just a few last words of advice, as Jojo would say: One day at a time, and keep it simple, stupid.
Every phone call with Marla and Trish, and later with Lake and Kalyn, always ended with the words “Love you, bye.” So rest easy, Jojo; say hello to all those who have gone before us, love you, bye.
A funeral Mass was held on March 8 at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven, followed by burial at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Vineyard Haven.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Vineyard House, P.O. Box 4599, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or online at vineyardhouse.org/donate-now, or to Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1748, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, or online at hospiceofmv.org/donations. For online guestbook and more information, visit chapmanfuneral.com.
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