On June 29, 2022, we said goodbye to a woman who has touched countless lives. Yvonne Rucker was 63 when she passed away at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Yvonne was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky on June 20, 1959, but she did not remain there long. Being in a military family, Yvonne relocated to many Air Force bases around the world, including Japan, Guam and Alaska, throughout her childhood. However, she spent the majority of her adult life in Illinois where she met her husband and raised her four children. While raising her children alongside her husband, she supported her family as a registered nurse initially and later as a nurse manager, over 25 years of which were at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She was also an accomplished flutist and shared her gift both as a performer and teacher. Yvonne was a caregiver through and through. Whether it was caring for someone sick, sharing a home-cooked meal, or simply offering a listening ear, she never hesitated to help those around her. Above all else, she was a strong Christian woman, and her faith permeated every area of her life. Her silent strength made a profound impact in the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing her.

She is survived by her husband, Jerome Rucker, her children, Derek (Kristen) Rucker, Nicole (Mark) Nearpass, Chris (Becca) Rucker, and Danielle (Jeff) Flythe, her grandchildren, Elainna, Everett, Adelyn, Greyson, Mitchell, Deacon, Lucas, Brielle, Levi, and Jackson, her mother, Wanda Mitchell, and her sisters, Rene (Rudy) Geater, Charlene (Steve Smoger) Mitchell, and Ava Mitchell. She is preceded in death by her daughter, Erica Dawn and her father, Duane Mitchell.

In Yvonne's memory, we are holding a service to celebrate her life followed by a reception on July 8th from 5:30-8:00PM at Grace Reformed Church 2740 Indiana Ave. Lansing, Illinois. Family, friends, and others whose lives Yvonne has touched are also invited on Thursday, July 7th from 2:00-8:00 at Grace Reformed Church to reminisce, grieve, support each other, and of course, just chat. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Northwestern Memorial Foundation in support of cancer research at P.O. Box 734985, Chicago Illinois 60673-4985 or online at foundation.nm.org and click Give a Gift.