A Husband, a Father, a Teacher and a Friend

Life will never be the same again for the Rucker family, whom we love. Jim passed away Thursday, October 21 at 10:55 p.m. after a two and a half year battle with cancer.
When Adrienne and I arrived at their home on Sunday, we were welcomed with arms wide open by Jeanne, whose poise and grace never wavered over the next 24 hours. I cannot fathom where she drew her strength from, but it was very clear that she possessed some deep and tremendous faith that carried her through the difficult minutes, hours and days following Jim's death.
As we sat on the church pews listening to the stories shared by colleagues, friends and family, a picture of the man Jim had been emerged...clearly he was a man who loved his family, immeasurably, and cared about his friends and community. The eulogy delivered by son, Jason, showed that he was loved deeply in return. It saddened me that I had not known Jim better or longer. Now there were only the memories and the stories we would hear and the kind words from his family and friends, or the family pictures that we viewed while in the company of his family. As Jason contemplated the purpose of Jim's life and of his own, I knew that Jason had already stepped-up. And while he would never try to fill Jim's shoes, he would be the man that Jim had fathered him to be. It is the hardest time of life. Jeanne, Jason, and Jill will need the love and comfort of family and friends in the difficult days ahead, so keep them in your hearts and minds.

Jim's Obituary
Dr. Jim D. Rucker, 63, died Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at his home in Hays.
He was born April 22, 1947, on the family farm near Maywood to Ivan and Sylvia (Hoschouer) Rucker. On June 14, 1970, he married Jeanne A. Moss in Gering. Jim received his B.A. degree in education from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 1969, his M.S. in education from Chadron State College in 1979, and his Ed.D. degree in administration, curriculum and instruction with emphasis in business education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1983. He began his teaching career as a business teacher in the Shelby Public Schools from 1969 until 1971. He was a business teacher at the Columbus Junior High School from 1971 until 1976. He was a graduate teaching assistant at Chadron State College from 1978-79 and a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1979-80. He was then the assistant professor, business division, at Wayne State College in Wayne from 1980 until 1982. He was a professor in the department of management and marketing at Fort Hays State University since 1982. Memberships include the Trinity Lutheran Church in Hays, the National Business Education Association of which he was the past president, the Mountain Plains Business Education Association, the Kansas Business Education Association and the Association for Business Communication.
Survivors include his wife, Jeanne, of Hays; his mother, Sylvia Rucker of McCook; son, Jason Rucker and his wife, Ginger, of Roeland Park, Kan.; daughter, Jill Dilly and her husband, Jon, of Overland Park, Kan.; brothers, Gary Rucker and his wife, Connie, of York, and Ron Rucker and his wife, Connie, of Yankton, S.D., and a sister, Beverly Elliot of McCook.
He was preceded in death by his father and an infant daughter, Jamie Rucker.
Memorial services will be 10 a.m. Monday at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Hays. The family will receive friends from 9 a.m. until service time at the church Monday. Memorials are suggested to the Dr. Jim D. Rucker Scholarship Fund at Fort Hays State University, in care of the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine, Hays, Kan. Condolences may be sent to the family at haysmemchapel@ruraltel.net