The Castle Rock

Jim and Frankie Tucker, owners and operators of the restaurant, Tucker's Cafe, located in Maryville, Missouri, found this creation of nature - the "Castle Rock" - while on a well-deserved fishing trip to Missouri's Ozark Country. They were in a small skiff just off Joe Bald Point on Table Rock Lake...just the two of them, the lake and a clear niight sky boasting a bright harvest moon fully illuminating their little peace of the Ozarks.

The crisp air of that 1956 Autumn night readily lent itself to a bit of spooning by these two lovebirds.

Frankie, gazing serenely into the water saw a brilliant light gazing back. It was the reflection of the moon on a piece of lava rock - the rock, to her, bore a resemblance to an old European Castle.

Frankie exclaimed "Jim! Look! Look! There's a Castle on the lake floor under our boat"! She looked longingly at the glowing rock then turned to where she could look deep into Jim's eyes and said "I have my Knight in Shining Armor and now a Castle, too". With no words, He kissed Frankie then suddenly dove into the shockingly cold depths of the Lake and brought that rock up and into the boat.

"Here is your Castle, Sweetheart - your Castle Rock" he said while offering it to her. His body dripping from the cold water was glistening in the warming glow of love that moon-lit scene revealed.

For all her remaining years, even after the passing of Jim in 1969, Frankie kept her precious Castle Rock nearby. Though the rock was ever present, the story of its acquisition was held close to Frankie's heart and not revealed until the latter years of her life.

It's from the love known in the Castle Rock and the fond memories of Tucker's Cafe that this memorial family website was named

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This story is as it was told by Frankie to her son, James, his sister Leslie, and brother Richard. The Castle Rock was given to James after Frankie's passing in 1997. As of the publication of this story, April 1, 2004, the Castle Rock has a home in the goldfish pond at James's home in Carmichael, California. The picture of the Castle Rock, above in that pond, was provided by brother Will Tucker (March, 2004).