Daughter of Preston Tucker dies

Marilyn Lee Tucker McAndrew, daughter of famed automotive manufacturer Preston T. Tucker and Vera A. Tucker, passed away on June 5, 2014, in Carlsbad, Calif., at the age of 87, surrounded by her loving family.

Marilyn was born on March 6, 1927 in Lincoln Park, Mich., and graduated from Ypsilanti High School in 1945. She attended Michigan State Normal College from 1945-46 and continued on to Stephens College Aviation School, in Columbia, Mo., where she became a pilot. Marilyn had an exciting life traveling with her father, Preston Tucker, during the formative years of the Tucker Corporation and christened the very first Tucker automobile, affectionately known as the “Tin Goose,” during the public unveiling in Chicago on June 19, 1947.

She and her family worked closely with Francis Ford Coppola during the making of the 1988 film, “Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” which chronicled her father’s entry into post war automobile production. Actors Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen portrayed her parents while Nina Siemaszko portrayed Marilyn.

Marilyn was an honorary member of the Tucker Automobile Club of America, Inc. (TACA) and is remembered for the many special appearances she made at the club’s national conventions over the years. In 1999, working along with her sister Shirley, Cousin Frank Tucker, former Tucker design team member Phil Egan and noted Tucker collector Dave Cammack, helped to establish the Tucker Historical Collection and Library at the Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo, Mich.

In September 2000, she presided over the official ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the all-new Tucker archive, which continues to preserve the records and artifacts related to the Tucker Automobile and her father’s legacy.

In addition to the Tucker Automobile Club of America, Inc. Marilyn was a former Board member of the Ypsilanti Thrift Shop and was awarded the “Woman of the Year” award in 1975 by the Ypsilanti Federation of Woman’s Clubs.

Marilyn was also a member of the Gilbert Residence Auxiliary, the Beyer Hospital Auxiliary, and First Presbyterian Church, all of Ypsilanti, Mich., and the Washtenaw County Club Women’s Golf Association.

Marilyn was married to Roy N. Parsons from 1947-1968. She had two children, Roy N. Parsons III and Robin Lee Parsons.

She later married Atwood R. McAndrew Jr. in 1968 in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Marilyn is lovingly remembered by her husband of forty-five years, Atwood R. McAndrew, Jr. Family survivors include her daughter Robin Lee Parsons and (Robert) Miranda of San Diego, CA; sister Shirley T. Hozier of Arizona; stepdaughter Elizabeth McAndrew of Silver City, NM; stepsons Thomas P. (Vita) McAndrew of Orchard Lake, MI and Atwood R. McAndrew, lll of Texas; grandsons Christopher R. (Casey) McAndrew, and Atwood R. McAndrew IV; and granddaughters Megan E. Thelen, Claire McAndrew and Laura McAndrew. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews throughout the United States.

Services for Marilyn were held Saturday, June 14, 2014, at the First Presbyterian Church in Ypsilanti.