Jacob Louis Tucker, 14, of Smithfield, OH, passed away Saturday, January 3, 2025, due to a devastating house fire.

Jacob was born June 10, 2011, in Steubenville, OH. He was the son of Ronald L. and Amy C. (Hallenbaugh) Tucker.

Jacob was an 8th grader at Buckeye Local Jr./Sr. High School. He played the trumpet in the Jr. High Band and was looking forward to marching as a freshman. He was a member of the Jefferson County 4-H Group – Boots & Britches and attended Cadiz Community Church.

He had a love for science, Legos and gaming, including games like Minecraft, Roblox, Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto. Jacob loved to build things with his tools. He even helped his uncle Dustan build his home. He followed his dad around everywhere and had a knack for finding anything that was lost. Jacob had aspirations of learning to weld.

Jacob entered Heaven alongside his grandmother Nancy Tucker, his sister Harleigh Tucker, and his beloved ducks, Daffy and Howard. He was also preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Ronald E. Tucker and maternal grandparents, William “Bill” and Araidna Hallenbaugh.

Jacob leaves behind his parents, Ron and Amy; brother Cody Hallenbaugh and fiancé Raven Shannon; sisters, Jessi Hodge (Shane Kugler) and Amber (Eddie) Oxley and their children, Hannah, Hunter, Haley, Nevaeh, Christopher and Matthew; uncle, Dustan Tucker and cousins, Logan J. Tucker and Grayson Tucker and their mother, Valerie Howard; aunt, Araidna (Guy) McKnight and their five children, Zachary (Amberly), Caleb, Jorden (Madison), Noah and Emily, and all of his 4-H and school friends.

A Memorial Gathering for the Tucker family, organized by the Boots & Britches 4-H Club, will take place on Saturday, January 10 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Jefferson County 4-H kitchen at the fairgrounds. The service, officiated by Pastor Jan Simpson, is scheduled for 3:30 PM.

Arrangements for Jacob, Harleigh, and Nancy are in the care of the J.E. Foster Funeral Home in Smithfield.

Memorial donations may be directed to the family, Ron & Amy Tucker PO Box 190 Smithfield, OH 43948 or there is an active GoFundMe page online.