One must remember Noble County had struck oil in and had become a much more developed and progressive area than the wild territory that had yet to become a state when she arrived at 56 years old. I imagine their were many conveniences she gave up to accompany her sons on this adventure out West. Jane would have been one of only a handful of white women living in the Everett area at the time.
One must wonder what brought her West. Was it a desire to assist her sons in business matters or was it only to do the wash and cook. I tend to believe the former.
Often we look to the society pages because its one of the few places women in history are mentioned. In the Rucker brothers completed a three story mansion and additional carriage house on what is now known as Rucker Hill. Jane spent her final years in this grand home.
The mansion still stands proudly at the top of Rucker Hill looking out to the Puget Sound. Ruby Rucker Armstrong and Jasper Rucker donated a half acre to create a park for the Rucker community in the s. The only requirement is that the property always be open for public use.
The park is pleasant, but has no parking. The granite mausoleum stands 30 feet tall atop a hill in Evergreen Cemetery. The tomb was built to hold 22 family members and has a nine by nine chapel area. The domed ceiling of the chapel is decorated with ornate stained glass windows. At one time a gas powered chandelier hung from the ceiling.
A large seated statue of Jane Rucker once stood over the doorway. This grand mausoleum is built from Vermont Red Beach granite. Upon completion the brothers had their mother and father exhumed and placed in the mausoleum. Bill Rucker terms it a mixed blessing. They started with nothing and they had a mill in Lake Stevens, and had a bank there and one in Everett.
But they lived very modestly, other than the house that they built for their mother. Their mom lived in the mansion until her death two years later. The house was sold in and no Rucker has lived in it since, though it has retained the name. Rucker has lived in Everett all of his life, except when he went to the University of Washington, earning a law degree in He was elected to Everett City Council and served as its president for a time.
The name comes up often, though. The two talk about that common bond for a bit before the cleanup starts. Debris comes through the broken upper windows from nature and from people who climb up and toss things inside — firecrackers, cigarettes, beer tops, rocks. The engravings on the crypt walls are hard to read in the dim light and from the decades of grime.
The deceased ranged in age from newborn to They were married 27 years. She passed away in She was a delightful lady, smarter than heck. Alcohol led to his early demise. She lived four days short of her th birthday. Her husband, Justus Armstrong, who killed himself in , is in the tomb, as is their firstborn son, who lived one day. Margaret Rucker Armstrong died in from an overdose of sleeping pills.
Webley was familiar with the Rucker name, but not the people behind it. Many climbed to the top. It led to Rod and his sister, Anne Armstrong, visiting Everett for the first time in and meeting Bill Rucker, who gave them a tour inside the tomb. Webley came, too. But not to climb up there and have a few drinks. He was deep in a daze. It took a few moments for him to speak. It always makes them happy… No one wants to be alone.
Rucker said he was not aware of a death at the tomb. Rucker feels a responsibility to the tomb and the family lineage that raised him. His first wife, the mother of his children, is still alive, as is his current wife.
Andrea Brown: abrown heraldnet. Twitter reporterbrown. Jane Morris Rucker, the matriarch, Jan. Wyatt J. Bethel J. Jasper L. If you have an opinion you wish to share for publication, send a letter to the editor to letters heraldnet. Box , Everett, WA More contact information is here. Previous Republic will manage Paine Field parking and valet service. Next District 10 GOP representatives battle to keep their seats.
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