Dad's page
This is my chance to share Tucker with you, though he only lived 2 years & 27 days he changed our lives forever, how we look at life and whats really important. Tucker's life may have been short but is was a wonderfull period in my life & I would do it all over again if I could. Even though by the medical community's standard "severely mentally retarded", Tucker had a distinct personality just like you and me. He was a happy kid who loved to play, roughhouse, eat, laugh, listen to music, and swing.
By far Tucker's favorite sport was eating. By late afternoon he ready to snooze. when he was tired he was a "Crab", mom would give him a bottle he would chow it down & toss it aside when he was done. He reached so many milestones we never dreamed he would. He was able to feed himself, he even crawled the day before he died. note the crab rattle next to him, kinda fitting don't you think.
Here my 'lil varmint is having a ball swinging away, the medical community say's these kids will have "No quality of life", I disagree. He was loved by his family and loved us unconditionally. He is laughing in this picture, his laugh sounded like Winnie the Poo who happens to be his big sister's favorite cartoon character, long before Tucker came along, coincidence I don't think so, God knew exactly how to put together the perfect Tucker
We made it a point to take Tucker everywhere with us, Rodeo's, Horseshows, Camping. I would even take him to work with me. The guy's at work loved to come and visit with him in my office. While on our trip to the S.O.F.T. 2002 conference in Chicago, "the boss,"my Dad" & the guy's expanded my office 6 feet to accomodate the ever growing Tucker.
Tucker & my Dad Granpa John at his second birthday party, yeah he's sulking its naptime.
Big brother Luke with his rope horse Reno at a show, Placerville Ca. and in the box eyeballin a steer at a roping, Semas Ranch Auburn Ca.
Mom, Tucker and Nugget. YEEHAW!
We were working towards getting Tucker on horseback, we had a 'ol bombproof gelding "Nugget" who would have been perfect for the job but the Lord had other plans & took him home.
Connie"Sissy"
with Tucker on Nugget 
Tucker Wesley Reite
April 5, 2001-May 3, 2003
Early on the morning of My 3, 2003, Our son quietly stepped into the arms of Jesus.
He had been doing so well that the reality of him dying was getting pushed farther back and the thought of his future became brighter and brighter.
He was a healthy boy. Other than a few minor colds over the past two years, he was doing great. The only medications he was on was Lamictal for seizures he started in September of `02. We were hoping to bring the seizures under control, but Tucker would still have clusters of seizures, especially when he would get constipated. He ate table food and would even try to feed himself with a spoon. Half of it would make it to his mouth and the rest of it ending up on his face or in his lap. Occasionally, some food would adorn his forehead. One day while he was eating some fruit and tofu, he had a myclonic jerk, sending the spoon full of food sailing through the air, smacking him on the forehead! He just sat there with a bewildered look on his face. It was priceless!
Tucker was our "Pride & Joy." It took him awhile to learn to roll over, but once he did he would roll across the room. As he got bigger & stronger, he was able to support his head and he would spend a lot of time playing on his tummy with his favorite toys. The seizures continued to plaque him though, the longest time he went between seizures was 7 days. Fortunately, they were usually mild seizures and the apneic episodes subsided as well. Tucker would always just look at you briefly. He wouldn't really gaze into your eyes. But the day before he died I had come home from work for lunch and was on the floor rough housing with him. He was in stitches laughing and when I picked him up to kiss him goodbye, he just locked eyes with me. He had a huge smile on his face and a look of total adoration. It was like he was just saying, "Daddy, I love you." He had never done that before, and when I hollered at mom to " Look at Tucker," she told me that he had done the same thing earlier that morning and said, " Wasn't that cool? He is starting to focus!" What a blessing! Later that night at the 4H BBQ, there was a country western band playing, and instead of sleeping, Tucker was sitting in his wheelchair kicking up his feet and laughing like crazy. That boy was a true "COWBOY" at heart. Tucker could camp out in the back of a pickup, spend all day at a rodeo or horse show in the dust and dirt, rain or shine. Why, he even spent some time in the saddle with Big Brother or Sissy, of course. Later that night Mom gave him a bottle and rocked him to sleep. She put him in bed about 11:00 & went to bed herself. At 4:15 am she got up & checked on Tucker, she turned on some music, and he rolled over and smiled and went about his business playing with his toys. I woke up at 5:30 am, went into the kitchen to make some coffee. I went in to check on Tucker. Poking my head into his bedroom door, I didn't hear him breathing. I turned on the light, and our little cowboy was gone. Sometime in that 1 1/2 hour time span the Lord called him home. He just slipped away to open his eyes and look Jesus straight in the face with that same look of adoration that he gazed at me with the day before. Tucker was in the presence of the Almighty, in Glory forever, unleashed from a body and a syndrome, now whole and complete. "Wow, what a lucky kid!"
Meanwhile, back at home, we spent three precious hours saying goodbye to our little boy. All of Tucker's brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends, and pastors took turns holding him and loving him until the time came to carry him out in the rain to a waiting van where we laid his little body on a gurney, and kissed him goodbye. He was covered up a taken away.
The days following Tucker's were spent getting everything together to bury him. My dad and I along with my brother, built his casket. My wife and I designed his headstone and with the help of our family, and friends, we put together a slide show and music for his memorial service.
With a dear friend, my son Luke, and myself, we took our little homemade casket to the funeral home to pick up Tucker. the folks there placed him in the casket and then we placed some toys and pillows in with him. I put my favorite ball cap on Tucker's little head and placed a letter his sister wrote over his heart with some momentos from his brothers. Luke and I kissed him goodbye one last time and closed the lid. We loaded him in the back seat of our pickup truck to come home to Georgetown. We buried him in a little cemetery on the pine ridge a 1/2 mile from our home.
Between the graveside service and the memorial service (which were a week a part), there were nearly 400 hundred people who came to say goodbye to our little boy and help celebrate his short buit "oh so sweet life." Among those were, 8 other trisomy families, the fire department, riders on horseback, 9 pastors (including a dear friend who came all the way from Missouri) and many friends and family from all over.
At our pastor's invitation to pray, one man came to Christ right there. That's what it is all about! The God who loved us enough to send His son to die for you and me (John 3:16), is the One who blessed this family with a little boy for two years and 27 days, who allowed him to touch peoples lives 2,000 miles away, who made Tucker the "perfect child" (Psalms 139), is the God who gave me the assurance that we will see Tucker again and will spend eternity with our Lord together in glory forever. Thank you Lord for how You blessed us with this little boy, and thank you Lord for letting "me" be called to be Tucker's dad.
We love to share our "Tucker" stories. Anyone is welcome to call us or email us anytime.
Jim And Lori Reite
Email: reitejl@hotmail.com
"This story was published in the S.O.F.T. August 2003 newsletter."
