Ernest was born in 1940 in Wichita Falls, Texas to Oden and Ethel Tucker. He had three siblings, sisters Bonnie and Dorothy and brother Delmer who passed away at an early age. The family led a modest lifestyle, and Ernest started pitching in at the young age of 8 with many creative jobs, like caddying at a local golf course and loading up fruits and vegetables from the family garden to sell in town. He was a true self-made man and his work ethic was deeply ingrained within him. He always told his daughters stories of having to walk to school and work in the rain, sleet and snow on cold Texas mornings - uphill both ways of course - to make sure they knew how easy they had it!

After high school, Ernest continued to work for several years doing construction jobs to save for college. He soon enrolled and put himself through school at Midwestern State University, majoring in accounting and graduating salutatorian of his class. He somehow found time to also tutor many of MSU's basketball players and often practiced and traveled with the team. This is when he developed a real love of basketball which he would later share with his daughters. He was the first in his family to graduate from college. After graduation, he landed a good job with the accounting firm Arthur Anderson in Dallas. Here is where he eventually met the love of his life, Beverly.

Ern and Bev lived in the same apartment complex and met at the pool. Both describe the meeting as love at first sight. After just a five and a half month courtship, they were married in December of 1970. They had three daughters, Leslie, Lana and Natalie. People always said that he raised the girls like the sons he never had, with tough love, but with a giving, generous heart. Ernest worked hard as a provider for the family so that Beverly could stay at home with the kids.

After rising to the position of Treasurer at the firm Trammell Crow, Ernest decided to take the leap of faith and open his own home building company, Ernest Tucker Homes. One of his first projects was building the first home for his own family in Duncanville, Texas. He went on to become a premier builder of custom homes as well as a developer for several subdivisions in the area. All three of his daughters eventually lived in an Ernest Tucker home. He was president of the Home Builders Association in Duncanville and active in the Chamber of Commerce.

During the girls' childhood, Ernest spent most of his free time coaching Lana and Natalie's basketball teams. They spent countless hours in the church gym practicing, so many that the pastor actually just gave him a key to the gym! He was a tough coach and critic at times and he always pushed the girls to work hard. It clearly mattered because both Lana and Natalie went on to receive full scholarships to D1 colleges...Lana at Texas A&M and Nat at Arizona State. Ernest and Beverly were their biggest fans traveling to every game. They even bought a condo in Arizona and lived there for several years while Natalie finished her basketball career at Arizona State.

Ernest taught his girls the value of a dollar, to "pay yourself first" by saving and avoiding credit card debt. He pushed for them to make good grades and be high achievers in business. He was always there to answer questions and give advice (sometimes unsolicited) about their careers, finances and relationships. He took the family on countless beach vacations to the Texas coast and the Florida panhandle. There are so many cherished memories from those trips.

He raised strong, independent girls who will always be close to their family.

Ernest also leaves behind three grandchildren, Gavin, Connor and Chance. He loved following their sports: baseball, basketball and golf. He still loved to pass along coaching advice to the next generation. He inherited bonus grandchildren when Leslie married Barney; Will, Chloe and Mal became part of the blended family.

Ernest didn't have a lot of time for hobbies, but he loved to play Texas Hold 'Em Poker. Ern and Bev enjoyed trips to the casino and he played in several local games. He was a great player and almost always a winner. Ernest loved mexican food, BBQ and pie! He was a long suffering Dallas Cowboys fan: he and Bev had season tickets in the Tom Landry era. He loved Texas Tech football, college basketball, nature walks and road trips with Bev. They were always joined at the hip and were still holding hands until the very end. He made it to his 54th Anniversary on December 26th.

Ernest is survived by his wife Beverly; his daughters Leslie Tucker-Morris and son-in-law Bernard Morris (grandchildren Will, Chloe, Mal and Chance,) Lana Tucker-Voth (grandsons Gavin and Connor) and Natalie Tucker.