William Tucker

William “Bill” Erl Tucker of Stillwater, MN passed away Jan. 24, 2026. Bill was a hardworking and gifted man who cherished his family and who will be heartfully missed as he sails off one last time into the sunset.

Bill was born on January 11, 1941 in South Elgin, IL to Sidney and Lurae Tucker. He was the second of four children, and grew up alongside his brothers, James (Jim), Robert (Bob), and David. Bill’s father was a successful businessman in the area, and growing up Bill worked for the family grocery business to put himself through college at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL. Bill had exceptional talents in math and engineering, and as a young man secured a position as a mechanical engineer at Beloit Corporation in Beloit, WI.

While in school, Bill met his late wife, Mary Anne Dunn through his brother Jim and sister-in-law Judi, and Bill and Mary Anne married in Illinois. Bill relocated for work several times during his career, and Bill and Mary Anne lived in Texarkana, AR before Bill accepted a position with 3M Corp. in Maplewood, MN. They settled in nearby Stillwater, MN where Bill completed one of his first major construction projects, a self-designed custom family home where they lived for decades and raised their two children, Andrew and Kristy. Bill excelled in his career as an engineer with 3M, and received a number of promotions, skillfully overseeing high-budget global construction projects until he retired as a top process engineer at the company. Shortly after Mary Anne passed away, Bill met and was married to Karolyn Kaye Yetter of Rockford, IL, and they traveled together and lived in various locations including Florida, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Bill was well-traveled and visited many places including Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, and numerous countries in Europe, and he traveled to Guatemala to graciously volunteer his skills for humanitarian building projects there. He enjoyed many hobbies, including rebuilding cars, sharpening his mind with puzzles, tinkering in his workshop, active sports such as boating, skiing, bicycling, golfing, camping, basketball, softball, daily evening walks, and coaching his children’s sports teams. He was fortunate to live close to his stepdaughter Kristine for some years, allowing him to spend precious time with her family, including his grandchildren, Elissa and Addilyn.

Bill is missed by his children, Andrew (Michelle) Tucker, Kristy Tucker, Kristine (Patrick) Smetana, and Richard (Tasha) Yetter; grandchildren, Elissa and Addilyn Smetana, and Kelsey and Jake Yetter; siblings, Robert “Bob”, and David Tucker; sisters-in-law, Judi Tucker, Vicky Dunn, and Shirley Carlson; brother-in-law Gary Dean (Marla) Cottrell, sister-in-law Sharon Cottrell; numerous nieces and nephews; numerous great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother James “Jim” Tucker; sister-in-law Dory Tucker; sister-in-law Marla Harned; brother-in-law Larry Cottrell.

A memorial gathering for Bill will be held from 1 to 4 p.m., Fri., Feb. 20, 2026 at Countryside Funeral Home, 95 S. Gilbert St., South Elgin, IL 60177. 847-289-8054 https://www.countrysidefuneralhomes.com/south-elgin
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Habitat for Humanity, https://www.habitat.org/support/honor-memorial-gifts
To share a condolence, please visit https://www.countrysidefuneralhomes.com