Ted "Bucky" Lee Thurber

February 15, 1946 – May 13, 2017

Ted Lee Thurber, “Bucky” or “Papa Ted” (as he was affectionately called by family and friends, who knew and loved him best), was born and raised in San Diego. Papa Ted passed away peacefully at his home on May 13, 2017. Always up for a challenge, he grew up using his hands to build things – from the dragsters he built and raced to the beautiful custom homes he built in Point Loma and greater San Diego, as a third generation contractor.

Papa Ted was a good hearted, down-to-earth, welcoming, hard-working man who had a passion for teaching younger generations. He enjoyed coaching his daughters from a young age on Bobby Sox up into their adult years on the PL HAGS Softball Team. He continued his love for sports – watching his young grandchildren play on local sports teams. He also took many a young kid under his wing – to teach them the art of contracting and construction. Giving many their first start in the construction trade, you’ll find they credit Papa Ted with their first job in Point Loma and Ocean Beach.

As a Past Exalted Ruler (PER) of the Elks Lodge No. 168, known as “Bucky,” he dedicated much of his time to supporting charities and fundraisers, which helped many throughout the greater San Diego community. After all of his hard work, you could often find Bucky in his corner chair at the lodge – watching Nascar with an ice-cold Budweiser or shot of Amaretto nearby.

Papa Ted was always the life of the party, with a smile on his face, a Budweiser in hand, and a dirty joke to lighten the mood. Laughter followed him wherever he went, whether during the OB Chili cook-offs in the early 1980s and 1990s, with Frey’s Cheap Meat Chili, where you could find him and his crew in red long-johns and cowboy boots, cooking Chili; during the St. Patty’s day parades in the 1990s and early 2000s, where you could find him and his Big Hat Belly Crew dancing down the street as overgrown leprechauns; during fishing and hunting adventures with close friends and his son, Randy; or during Nascar races and Sports, lounging at home, welcoming anyone who would watch and cheer along.

Loving father and Papa, Ted is survived by his three children (Lisa LaRocco, Teri LaRocco and Randy Thurber), 5 grandchildren (Nicholas, RJ, Anthony, Rylee, and Reese), and 3 siblings (Judie Rogers, Dell Thurber, and Gary Thurber).

Please join us in celebrating his life and legacy on Sunday, June 11,, 2017, as he would want it – out in the open ocean for a paddle out at Froude and Sunset Cliffs Blvd at 9 a.m., followed by a celebration of life of the Elks Lodge No. 168 from 2-6 p.m., at 7430 Jackson Drive, San Diego, CA 92119.