Robertson B. Tucker, MD : POSTPONED
Robertson Buell Tucker, MD, 52, of Philadelphia, PA and formerly of Newport, RI, passed away unexpectedly on November 10, 2019.
Born in Philadelphia to Martha Metzger Tucker and the late Dr. Samuel Hopper Tucker, he attended Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA, the New School (now Pennfield School), Middletown, RI and the Eaglebrook School, Deerfield, MA. He graduated, in 1986, Cum Laude from Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter NH, during which time he spent a semester at the Mountain School of Milton Academy, where he worked on an organic farm in Vershire, VT. Rob was a 1990 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he also received his Medical Degree in 1995. He completed his residency at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, followed by a fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He specialized in Adolescent Medicine and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Warren E Smith Health Center in Philadelphia, PA, where he worked for nearly twenty years. Rob also had a private psychiatry practice with adult patients and specialized in anxiety disorders.
Having been introduced to meditation through Jon Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, Rob became a practicing Buddhist. He had recently converted at the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center. His passion for mindfulness was shared with family and friends and he also incorporated some of his stress-reduction techniques into his psychiatric practice. Professionally, Rob was regarded for his sincere, earnest nature and his dedication towards his work and helping others. He was compassionate and caring and lived his life with exuberance. Rob was an avid reader, loved to walk, and cherished animals, particularly his cat, Georgie.
Survivors include his mother, his sister Alden Tucker and nephew Elliot Tucker Abong, all of Newport, RI; stepmother Robin Tucker of Galena, MD; former stepmother Helen Walker of Lafayette Hill, PA; uncle David Metzger of Chardon, OH; aunt Elizabeth Ripley of Princeton, NJ, and beloved companion Winifred Trotman, of Philadelphia, PA. Contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made in his memory to WES Health Centers, 1315 Windrim Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19141-2710, Attn: David Kitta, CFO; or the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center, 945 N Marshall Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123.
I was saddened to read about Dr Tucker (Robertson) today.
My sincere condolences to his mother Martha, his sister Alden, and his extended family. I knew Robertson from years ago, during the famous ‘Blizzard of 78’. I rented lodging from his mother on Tuckerman Ave that winter, along with Melody Maxim, another tenant. I got to know Martha, Robertson, his sister Alden and her cat ‘Babbie’. We enjoyed hibernating in the big Toland summer residence during that history making blizzard !
From time to time I would run into Martha in Newport and I’d inquire about her children, always very proud of their lives ! She told me how proud she was of Robertson’s achievement as a doctor and Psychiatrist.
I was a patient of Dr. Tucker. He helped pull me out of depression, for which I will always be grateful. I haven’t been a patient in many years and only stumbled across this because I was wondering how he has been and did a random Google search. I am very, very saddened to learn he passed. I don’t pray but I said a prayer anyway for him. My condolences to his family. Please know he made a big difference in my life. I went from massive depression to having two kids and a wife.