Mary Jane Rucker

Mary Jane (Heinkel) Rucker, age 71, passed away peacefully from a 3 ½ year battle with cancer Wednesday April 5, 2017 at 1:25 am in her home in North Fort Myers, Florida surrounded by family. She was laid to rest at Lee Memorial Park Cemetery on Wednesday April 12, 2017 in a beautiful intimate ceremony of loved ones.

LIFE

Mary Jane was born in Parrish, Florida December 24, 1945, the tenth and youngest child of fisherman Albert and Murttie Heinkel. She grew up in a small modest house in North Fort Myers with her three youngest siblings James, Ervin, and Opal. She attended school at J. Colin English and Fort Myers Junior and Senior High Schools. In her teen years, she was chosen ‘Beauty of the Week’ by the Fort Myers News-Press. A year before graduating in 1963, she began working at The Edison Theater in Historic Downtown Fort Myers. This is where she was introduced to the love of her life, ‘Buster’ Rucker who worked at the sister theater, The Arcade Theater. She loved to tell the story of how he proposed within two weeks of meeting her, at which she accepted. Two years later, they were married on October 10, 1965 at an intimate ceremony at Buster’s parents’ house. They moved to Kansas when Buster joined the army. He was soon stationed in Vietnam during the war which was a hard time in both of their lives. After his time of service to our country, Buster and Mary Jane moved to Fort Benning, Georgia for 16 months before moving back home to North Fort Myers. In 1971, the couple had their son Charles ‘Chuckie’ Walter, followed three years later by the birth of their daughter Kimberly Ann. They built their home together and within a few years they welcomed their great niece, Season, into their home when she was just a baby and took care of her for many years. Through the years of being a parent and subsequently a grandparent (Mammo/ Mema), Mary Jane has proven to be the most involved and loving care giver possible, and up until her death, she had her grandkids over every Friday night for 20 years, a tradition that continues with Buster (Papa). In her final weeks, she confessed that she wasn’t ready to leave this Earth because she had more love to give to her family and wanted them with her always.

In life, Mary Jane gave of herself continuously. She took in many family members and gave guidance to family, friends, her children’s friends, and grandkids. Many looked to her as a mother figure throughout most of her life. She even became a Notary Public so she could help others create loving families of their own and officiated the weddings of many family members and friends throughout the years. Along with her husband, she became her family’s biggest cheerleader as a Girl Scout troop leader, the fan on the sidelines to every game, audience for every open house, award, ceremony, and every performance. Her love and commitment to family is unparalleled, as she was there for all events that her children and grandchildren were a part of and all special moments in their lives, including all of their births. She also took care of her parents and two brothers for decades throughout their lifetimes and illnesses. Through this dedication to others, she taught her children how to be loving, involved parents, caring members of the community, and to give selflessly to others.

Through her lifetime, she had many jobs at The Edison Theater, The Inter-County Phone Company, Walker Builders Supply, a Real Estate Agent at Del Ray Model Homes, and eventually began a career with the Lee County School District in 1986. She started working as a librarian’s assistant at Suncoast Middle school and within a couple years moved to the office as a Data Entry and then got promoted a few years later to Data Processer. In 2001 she transferred to Dunbar Middle School where she gained the title Information Specialist. In November of 2012, she retired from the school district after 26 years of service in hopes that she would get to travel and enjoy her life. Sadly, she was diagnosed with cancer only months later.

She had many hobbies, talents, and interests which included drawing, painting, ceramics, sewing, quilting, singing, computer skills, and anything her kids were interested in. She was a collector of stuffed Christmas Bears, porcelain dolls, Christmas gifts for the next year and future years , Christmas decorations, angels, rings, technology, kitchen ware, candles, furniture, and her children’s belongings for future generations.

Within her circle, she was famous for her sweet tea, potato salad, deviled eggs, chicken dumpling soup, meatloaf, and Spaghetti.

We will miss her smile, laughter, hugs, daily phone calls, solicited and unsolicited advice. We will look fondly on the smell of gardenias, her favorite perfume ‘Night Magic’, and purple glitter polished nails. We’ll smile at every photo of her holding and playing with her grandchildren, making a silly face, or in an embrace with her husband. We will always think of her wearing her red or purple dress shirts and her many rings of sparkling colors. We will feel her excitement when we see every ‘Sale’ sign, clearance rack, or ‘as seen on TV’ item. And we’ll never look at a wig or blond ponytail hair piece the same. These things will always make us smile and remember how special she was and is to us always. She was a ‘kind one’ and ‘one of a kind’!

We love you, Mom, to the moon and back, then, now, and always. Godspeed!

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard!”

Winnie the Pooh

FAMILY

She is survived by her 70 year old husband of 51 years, Charles ‘Buster’ Rucker and two children Charles ‘Chuckie’ Rucker (45) and Kimberly (Rucker) Jordan (42) and Great Niece Season Tanner (36)… Daughter-in-law Joann, grandson Brandon and step grandchildren Kayla, Austin, Matthew, and Hunter…Son-in-law Joe and grandchildren Paige, Avery, and Jacob…grandnephew Theo…Brother Carl Ervin Heinkel and Sister Opal (Heinkel) Marsden…nieces Tammy (Marsden) Mudge and Sharon (Marsden) Rhoden …nephew George Tanner…and many other loving nieces and nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents Albert Edward Heinkel Sr. and Murttie Marie (Weaver) Heinkel; brothers Albert Edward Jr., Harry Eugene, Edward Earl, James Frank; and sisters Lovie Lorraine, Ethel Marie, Hazel Inez,

SERVICES

Celebration of Life services will take place Saturday, April 29 at 1:00pm at First Christian Church of Fort Myers, located at 2061 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33901. Services will be officiated by family friend Dr. Rev. Mark Means and will be followed with a reception in the Fellowship Hall. We are asking that attendees wear an item of purple or red in her honor, as she loved these colors and wore them often for special occasions. Please bring your favorite covered dish with serving spoon to share. Mom loved a good pot-luck!

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you to Vicki Mere for your help with the photos and Eric Brounson for the amazing and touching video tribute. Thank you to Janine Fenske for providing the beautiful butterflies for release in her honor. Thank you to Hodges Funeral home for your courtesy and extra attention to our needs and to Dr. Rev. Mark Means for providing your services with love. Thank you to Hospice Care for allowing us the means to care for Mom in her home, where she wanted to be. Thank you to countless family and friends for the extra love and support you have given us through this very difficult time.

Thank you to everyone for a lifetime of memories you gave her and for the love and friendship along the way.

DONATIONS

In life, Mom always steered us away from spending money on cut flowers that die, so in lieu of flowers, the family will be planting a mature flowering shade tree on the property in her honor and working on some projects she planned to do in her retirement. If you would like to donate to these projects, her children would like any donations sent to their father, Buster Rucker, at 2150 Twin Brooks Rd. North Fort Myers, Florida 33917. She would be honored to have so many people be a part of things she always wanted to do.