Pat Avon Tucker

Pat (Wilma) Avon (Garrett) Tucker

August 18, 1933 – 11-8-2025

Pat Tucker, a woman who lived life wide open and at full throttle, passed away peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of adventure, laughter, and unbreakable spirit.

Born Willma Avon Garrett on August 18, 1933, in Oklahoma, Pat spent her early years in Northern California, where her fearless curiosity quickly set her apart. She worked as a telephone operator, dazzled crowds as a stunt car driver with Joey Chitwood and the Daredevils, met her husband at Sears, and later managed medical offices. She played a key role in opening Auburn Faith Hospital and establishing a kidney clinic in Roseville, California, touching countless lives with her competence and care.

“Retirement” was never in Pat’s vocabulary. Instead, she saddled horses, roared down highways on motorcycles, and took to the skies as a licensed pilot. A proud member of The Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots, she flew medical supplies for Doctors Without Borders, turning her love of flight into a mission of mercy.

Pat wasn’t the grandma who baked cookies—she was the one who taught you how to develop film in a darkroom, solder stained-glass windows, identify rare plants after horticulture class, or push a throttle wide open. Her home was filled with the sound of her laughter and the evidence of her latest passion.

She is survived by her devoted husband of 61 years, Bruce Tucker; her children Dawna Blaylock, Laurie J. Tucker, and Steve Tucker; her cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and a wide circle of friends who will forever miss her spark.

Pat didn’t just live—she soared, raced, built, healed, and loved with everything she had. The world is quieter now, but the stories of the extraordinary woman known simply as “Pink Grandma” will keep flying for generations.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests honoring Pat by trying something new, going a little faster than feels reasonable, and laughing out loud.

Those wishing to leave a memory or condolence for the family may do so at https://www.laycock-hobbs.com/obituaries/pat-tucker

Laycock-Hobbs Funeal Home in charge of arrangements