Legacy Lives: Mike Tucci (Sr.)
Born the middle son of Alford and Frances Tucci in October 1932, Michael “Mike” Tucci spent his childhood in the Bronx, New York. He attended P.S. 41 Gun Hill Road School which specializes in educating the whole student, focusing on academic knowledge and life-skills necessary for success. Upon graduating, the threat of communism and war was looming, so he enlisted with the Army.
Mike served three years with the military, spending time in Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Fort Knox, Washington, California, New Jersey, New York, Egypt and Japan, but the majority of his service was spent in Korea during the Korean Conflict. After the armistice was reached, Mike returned to the States and retired from the Army.
Mike became an apprentice plumber with the Local 2 of the United Association of Journeymen and Pipefitting Industry in the Bronx, beginning his 40-year career. He married Mary Ann Kent in 1954, and they had four children together: Michael Jr., Francine, Mary Anne and Gina Marie. They settled down in Long Inland, NY. Mike worked on many large projects throughout his career, but most notably, he helped install plumbing in the World Trade Center Twin Towers. He stated that a lot of the schematics utilized innovative techniques and technology. He began in the basement that was sixty-foot underground, moved to the fifth floor, and finished on the ninety-second floor. It was heartbreaking for him to watch the Twin Towers crumble on 9/11, something that will be etched in his mind forever.
When Mike retired in 1991, he moved to Tampa, FL, where he stayed until he moved into Legacy Village of Jacksonville in Alabama to be close to his son, Michael Jr. and his family in August 2021.
