Jo-Anne Kuhlo Tucker

Jo-Anne Kuhlo Tucker passed away on February 5, 2022 at home in Lebanon, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Carl E. Kuhlo of Chattanooga and Rebecca Clendenin Kuhlo of Paris, Tennessee. She was born June 3, 1947, in Elizabethton and grew up in Morristown, graduating from South High School in Knoxville. At the University of Tennessee, she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Angel Flight, and co-captain of the cheerleading team for two years. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Following college she married Harold “Bubba” Beal and taught at Alice Bell Elementary School in Knoxville for five years. Inspired by her husband’s passion for aviation, she earned a private pilot license and attended air shows with him across the nation. Later in government service she developed an award-winning transportation program for the Tennessee Valley Authority, receiving national recognition for an innovative employee ride-sharing system with a fleet of 400 vans, the largest in the nation. Based on this success, she moved to federal service as Director of Employee Transportation in the Navy Department.

After her time in Washington, she married Donald M. Tucker, owner of Power Equipment Company in Knoxville. She settled down to family life, including travel to New York, Florida, and the Caribbean. They adopted a beautiful daughter, Sheila, and were happily married for twenty-five years. She was a long-time member of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church.

Following Don’s death she benefitted greatly from the support of her sister-in-law, Vicki Kuhlo, and other friends and family members, who helped her in so many ways and brightened her life with calls and cards.

Jo-Anne is survived by her four brothers, Lt Col Robert C. Kuhlo of Memphis; Dr. Ernest C. Kuhlo of Paris, Tennessee; Michael Wayne Kuhlo of Gallatin; and Mark Lee Kuhlo of Nashville. She is also survived by her daughter, Sheila Tucker Reno, of Columbia, Missouri.

Visitation and reception will be held on Friday, February 18, at Berry Highland Memorial Funeral Home, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee, at 1:00 o’clock followed by a memorial service starting at 2:30. Jo-Anne will be laid to rest in Knoxville at Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery beside her husband Don. Instead of flowers, the family suggests donations to breast cancer research or a favorite charity.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.berryhighlandmemorial.com for the Tucker family.