CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Dr. Howard Tucker, a Cleveland Heights native whose life and career touched medicine, military service, law and social media, has died at age 103.
Known for his curiosity and energy, Tucker, who died Monday, remained professionally active well into his later years, his obituary said.
A 1940 graduate of Cleveland Heights High School, Tucker went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Ohio State University during World War II before serving in the U.S. Navy, according to his obituary.
It also noted that he later returned to OSU to complete medical school, graduating in 1947, and pursued advanced neurological training at the Cleveland Clinic and Columbia University’s Neurological Institute, where he met his future wife, Sara Siegel.
Tucker’s medical career spanned decades and multiple institutions, including University Hospitals, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, now Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital and his own private practice. His obit said during the Korean War, he served as chief of neurology for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He continued teaching and practicing medicine until age 100 at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, earning recognition from Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest practicing physician.
Tucker earned a law degree from Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at 67 and later became the oldest person to pass the Ohio Bar Exam. In October of this year, he was honored as a panelist at the United Nations for the International Day of Older Persons.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, his obit said he was known for his enthusiasm for life. He skied, sailed, jogged, hiked and danced, played violin, and maintained a deep love for music, particularly the Cleveland Orchestra. In his later years, he reached a global audience as a viral TikTok personality, sharing insights on aging and wellness, a presence that earned him a Webby Award and led to his appearance in the documentary “What’s Next?”
Tucker is survived by his wife, their four children, 12 grandchildren and his brother, Leonard Tucker, who recently turned 100. Funeral services were scheduled for Friday at Berkowitz Kumin Bookatz Memorial Chapel in Cleveland Heights. The family has requested donations be made to the Harry and Rae Tucker Senior Transportation Fund at Park Synagogue in his memory.
