Laura (Keeney) Tucker, 96, of East Road, Alford died August 28, 2022 at Mt. Carmel Care Center in Lenox. Laura was born during a blizzard on March 2, 1926 at the home of her grandmother, Laura Williams Millard, on Route 71 in Alford. Her parents were Roger M. Keeney and Josephine M. Keeney (later remarried to Leonard J. Kelley).
Laura’s childhood years living near the Green River were full of memories—many later documented in a journal—including her recollections of summer neighbor Mary White Ovington (founding member of the NAACP) and a family picnic with poet James Weldon Johnson.
A sixth-generation member of the Williams family to be raised in Alford, she attended the former West Alford School (at the corner of Green River and Crooked Hill Roads), the former Alford Center School, and the former Searles High School in Great Barrington. After graduating, she worked briefly in a medical lab.
In 1946, she began working for the American Institute for Economic Research, first in Cambridge, Mass., as founder Col. Edward C. Harwood prepared to move the business to its current location on Division Street in Great Barrington. She became librarian for the American Institute for Economic Research and retired from that position in 1991. She was a member of the Alford Garden Club and served the town as a registrar of voters and an Alford Library Trustee.
Throughout her life, Laura enjoyed exploring the outdoors, watching birds, and learning about the natural world, no doubt leading her sons to their lifelong interests—birding and nature photography for Jim, and a career in forestry for Peter. A wonderful cook, her deliciously flakey pie crusts were locally renowned.
In retirement, she provided invaluable babysitting services for grandchildren and dozens of foster children, demonstrating kind, selfless, and generous character that impacted a huge extended family. She joined the “Happy Tappers” tap-dancing club, in pursuit of her love of music and dance, sometimes performing (into her 80s) in local nursing homes. She thoroughly enjoyed travelling with her late-life companion, John Dunn, and visiting with his gracious family.
Laura Tucker is survived by her two sons, James and his wife Hae Kyoung of California, and Peter and his wife Priscilla (“Pat”) of Alford; nine grandchildren, Steven, Matthew, Megan, Emily, Amber, Sara, Danielle, Chauncia, and Stacey; and eleven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth E. Tucker (1918-1985), and her companion, John Dunn.
A celebration of life will be held at the family’s convenience.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alford Land Trust, 362 West Road, Alford, MA 01266. To send remembrances to her family please go to the website of Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home.
