After a long battle with Parkinsons, Lung Cancer, and other co- morbidities Thomas Jackson Stuckey peacefully passed on Wednesday February 28, 2024, about 9 am, a few days after admission to inpatient hospice care at the Cardiovascular Institute in McComb, MS.
Jack was born in Portsmouth, VA at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital on January 7, 1954. He lived in the Portsmouth area until age 10 when his family moved to Houston Texas in the summer 1964. While in Virginia he attended Hickory Elementary until his move to Texas. In Houston Texas he attended North Shore Elementary, Jackson Jr High, and North Shore Jr and Senior High School.
In 1971 he joined the US Army and served honorably from 1971-73 as a radioman and was stationed at Camp Casey near the DMZ in South Korea.
After he was out of the Army he returned to Houston Texas where he worked as an electrician often working with his father.
More than anything else in this world Jack loved and adored his family members. He had a restless spirit and traveled to many places in the United States, often to see and visit with different family members. This included stays in North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, and Montana. In the 80’s he ended up in the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico where he lived for many years. When it was discovered he was boarding with Mrs. Garduno and family many of his siblings traveled to visit him there. At times he would take a bus to stay with his father for a while in Houston Texas when the family had reunions there.
On New Years Day of 2000 he came by bus to live with his sister Carol in New Orleans.
As a Veteran he received care and services at the VA in New Orleans and volunteered there for a while taking a mobile library to inpatients there. When asked, he described that job as giving patients “something to say no to”.
For several years he stayed in New Orleans until he was accepted into the Veterans War Home in Jackson, Louisiana in August 2003. After Katrina he was transferred to the newly built Veterans War Home in Reserve, LA which was closer to New Orleans. He stayed there from 2006 until about 2010 when he moved to The Atrium in Metairie, LA. In 2016 he moved to the Landing at Behrman Place, another assisted living facility in New Orleans on the West Bank where he stayed until January 2019.
Diagnosed with Parkinsons and Lung Cancer his health began to decline quickly in 2019 until he was placed in home hospice in June 2020 in New Orleans. Shortly after that he moved to Liberty MS where he continued in home hospice until his death.
Through these years so many people loved and helped care for Jack. Many thanks to special long time caregivers Nicole Smith, Lisa Zullo, Tammy Price, Beverly Maxwell, Rosestela Murray, and the entire Compassus Team out of McComb MS who all helped keep him safe, well cared for, and loved.
Jack had a strong will to survive and live in this world despite his physical and mental challenges because of disease. If anyone wrote him off as not really being there he would surprise them with an incisive comment revealing that he was much aware of what was happening around him. These four years in home hospice were challenging but in some ways he was living his best life and we all grew because of our relationship with him.
Thomas is preceded in death by his parents Lester Levy Stuckey and Georgia Voncile Hill Stuckey and his brother Richard Lewis Stuckey.
He is survived by his siblings Michael W. Stuckey (Janice), Patrick Lynn Stuckey (Rosalind), Connie Stuckey Forester, Carol A. Stuckey, Susan Y. Stuckey, Leslie Leah Stuckey (Lee Williams), sister in law Pam Q. Stuckey, and nieces and nephews Keri Stuckey (Ray), Megan Arriaga (Fito), Sara J. Stuckey, Seth Lewis Stuckey (Yesenia), Lisa Zeman (Gary), Brandy Goodwin (Sean), Michael Forester (Terry), Darin Branch (Mercedes), Kelsey Stuckey, Jency Liddell(Alan), and many great and several great great nieces and nephews.
Cremation was carried out by Riverwood Family Services in Brookhaven, MS.
A Memorial Service is pending and will be announced when plans are finalized.
In lieu of flowers in his memory please consider donations made in his name to treatmentadvocacycenter.org or a favorite charity.
