Annette Therese Tuckey (Forbes)

The Mass of Christian Burial will now be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 10:30 AM at Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church.  The family is receiving friends at Queen's Church on Saturday from 10:00 to 10:30 AM.

Tuckey (Forbes), Annette Therese

Age 80, died peacefully surrounded by her children and her husband on Tuesday, February, 14, 2023. Always an educator, following 13 years of bravery in the face of persistent illness, she taught one last lesson to her family: how to face the end of life with strength, dignity, and grace.

Born in Fall River, Massachusetts on January 7, 1943, Annette was the oldest child to her adoring parents, Edward and Marcella Forbes. She was the older sister to brother Robert, as well as several other foster siblings whom she helped care for and raise. The nurturing instinct was a central part of her life, which manifested in her calling as a teacher, which she proudly claimed as her vocation, not just her profession.

When her family moved to Michigan in the early 1950s, their circumstances improved, and she had the opportunity to pursue her two great passions -- singing and teaching. While still in high school, she toured several South American countries as part of the Michigan Chorale - Youth for Understanding program in 1960, and was also the president of the statewide Future Teachers of America organization. She was the first in her family to attend college, receiving her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Michigan University, where she met the love of her life, Dale Tuckey.

Together, Annette and Dale eventually moved to Jackson, where they raised their four children in a home filled with music, laughter, learning, and love. Annette dearly loved singing, performing for decades as part of a small group of singers and musicians who contributed their talents every Sunday at St. John the Evangelist Church in Jackson. Always a teacher, she stepped away from the classroom to raise her children, but later accepted a position at Northwest Elementary School, where she taught students with great care and joy for 18 years. Her impact on a generation of Northwest Mounties, as well as her many colleagues there, will continue to echo through the community for years to come.

After retirement, Annette became another sort of teacher to two very different groups. As a demonstrator for Stampin' Up, she was able to share her creativity, organization, and amazing ability to help others learn by teaching crafting classes on a regular basis. This sustained her as she began to suffer from acute rheumatoid arthritis, and later pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but she never stopped fighting to stay healthy and active. This led her to a different kind of teaching, as she became active in a regional PAH patient support group, working closely with her outstanding physicians and nurses at the University Hospital at the University of Michigan. Helping others who were learning to deal with this disease, and diligently participating in numerous research studies to expand present medical understanding, she was a leader and a role model to her fellow patients, as well as the medical professionals fortunate enough to work with her.

As daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin, and dear friend, Annette was an incredible teacher and caregiver to countless people in her life, always making time to joyously celebrate and thoughtfully engage with others whenever she could. She believed strongly in the power of education to lift up lives and communities, and her faith in God, her family, and the inherent dignity of all others was a powerful light in the lives of many. She will be dearly missed.

Annette was preceded in death by her loving parents, Edward Nelson Forbes and Marcella Elizabeth (Desmarais) Forbes and is survived by Dale Gordon Tuckey, her husband of 57 years; her brother, Robert (Karen) Forbes; her daughter, Jennifer (Brad) Tuckey-Bastion; her son Christopher (Venisei); her son Steven (Alana); her son, Matthew (Amanda); her grandchildren, Mitchel (Summer) Bastion, Elizabeth Becker, Emily Tuckey, Maureen Bastion, Xaneveya Davidson, Adam Tuckey, Portteia Davidson, Alexander Tuckey, Eric Tuckey, Vivian Tuckey; and her great-grandchildren, Adora Bastion and Luka Parker.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 10:30 AM at Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church with Father James Shaver officiating.  The Funeral Mass will be live-streamed on Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church's Facebook Page.

According to her wishes, cremation will take place after the Mass and interment will be held Brookside Cemetery in Tecumseh, Michigan at a later date.

The family will receive friends and loved ones at Desnoyer Funeral Home on Wednesday, February 22 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM with the Rosary Service at 7:00 PM. The family will also receive friends at St. John's Church on Saturday, February 25 from 10:00 to 10:30 AM.

Contributions to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association would be appreciated. (https://phassociation.org/donate/)

Desnoyer Funeral Home
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