September 2025 Alum Spotlight: Patti Jo Siewert Tucker ‘73
By KRISTIN BECK ‘05
Presentation Academy
If you are looking for gardening advice, look no further than fellow Pres alum Patti Jo Siewert Tucker ’73, who credits her success to God blessing her with a green thumb. “I always say that if God gives you a talent, you should put it to good use and that is what I have done,” she said. “Whenever anyone needs a plant saved, I am the ‘Plant Guru’ they bring it to. I have plants now that belonged to relatives and are over 70 years old.”
Patti Jo comes from a long line of gardeners, and it has always been an interest. “I enjoy gardening because it brings me outside and allows me to enjoy nature up close and personal,” she said. “I grow most of my plants from seed and never tire of the wonder of it all. A big, beautiful butterfly bush comes from a seed so tiny that you can barely see it. God is great!”
Patti Jo has entered plants and flowers in the Kentucky State Fair for about 15 years. So far, she has won 196 blue ribbons, 153 red ribbons, 93 yellow ribbons and a large selection of silver trays and special ribbons like Horticulture Excellence, Sweepstakes (most blue ribbons in show) and Best of Show!
“I started entering more to expose people to new and interesting plants than for the trays and ribbons of which I have been blessed to win over the years,” she said.
Her favorite plants are Crown of Thorns and Angel’s Trumpets. “I love both of these for the blooms.”
Patti Jo and her husband, Michael, have been together for 50 years and married for 43 years. They have three sons (Jason, Josh and Jonathan) and four grandchildren (Mai, Cai, Journey and Levi).
Patti Jo came to Pres from St. Ann grade school and was the only one in her class to attend Pres. But just like many Pres Girls, she soon felt right at home at Fourth and Breck.
One of her favorite high school memories was when the basketball team won the AAA Conference in basketball during her senior year. “Morale was never higher,” she said. “We had a fantastic team with my friends Marcia Mueller, Amy Dawson, Cindy McAllister and many other great athletes. I wasn’t on the team, but I was an avid supporter. (Coach) Ms. (Vivian) Dunlevy was a legend!”
Patti Jo was not involved in many Pres clubs, but she spent much of her free time dancing. She studied ballet for 19 years and danced with the Louisville Civic Ballet, performing in “The Nutcracker” for several years. “I would get out of school and walk down to the Brown Theater where we practiced,” she said. “As soon as I got my car at 16, I began teaching ballet at Patsy Bloor dance studio in Oxmoor Center.”
She taught during her junior and senior years at Pres but quit once she began her professional career. However, she later volunteered for a year at West End Baptist Church on Saturday mornings teaching ballet.
Patti Jo began working at Citizens Fidelity Bank after graduating from Pres. She started in word processing and worked her way up to supervisor of the data center. She was one of the youngest people to be promoted to operations officer, she said.
At that time, the neighborhood pet store went up for sale. She and Michael had always loved animals, so they thought, why not? They owned “Preston Pets” for 10 years while raising their three sons. “Definitely an interesting time,” she said.
Patti Jo’s husband had always worked in HVAC, and they started “All Hours Heating & A/C” and have successfully owned the business for the past 46 years.
Patti Jo serves as a Class Agent for the Class of 1973. “I always strive to keep our class together,” she said. “We have monthly dinners at different restaurants. We have a big Christmas party every year with a great turnout of our class. I enjoyed working on our 40th and 50th reunions.”
When asked what advice she would offer current Pres Girls, Patti Jo said, “Find something that you are passionate about when pursuing a career. We have always enjoyed being self-employed, and we have learned that you get back what you give. Treat people well and it will come back to you.”
