Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Officer Rucker was a friend of my family. He was a great man to me as was his family. God love the Ruckers, they were a big part of my life growing up.

I am a former US Army 11B1PR and DPS Rucker was a friend of my family. You are a hero and an inspiration, I will never forget you.

February 7, 2022

Trooper Rucker I can still remember like it was yesterday when your were shot. I was 14 at the time, but I still remember the video from the local channel when your fellow troopers were standing there in disbelief. Thank you for service. Rest in peace my fellow Texas peace officer brother.

Santiago Galvan Jr (Texas Peace Officer)
Alamo PD, Mission PD, McAllen PD South Texas College PD

September 30, 2021

My nieghbor, Dave Rucker,... I remember you saying that you had built-up "extra" vacation time so you could spend "a buncha" time with boy(re-kids) and you were stoked about beginning your vacation the next day... about a week later I saw your son in the yard playing catch by himself.. the tears still flow. Thank You for your service, and you, and your Family, and for your Ultimate Sacrifice, SALUTE!

No rank. Shawn Mace
Nieghbors at the time of Dave's murder.

August 24, 2021

Rest In Peace always and know that your service and sacrifice are always remembered.

Detective Cpl/3 Steven Rizzo
Delaware State Police (Retired)

September 29, 2020

Almost forty years after you went on our final Patrol. I still remember the night you were murdered like it was yesterday. Several of us were at the Pancake House in Brownsville when the Border Patrol Agents sitting next to us had their radios go off it and all call of Officer Down which they thought was a fellow Border Patrol Agent. My friend and fellow Deputy Sheriff were not on duty that night but moments after the BP Agents got their call our beepers went off that there was an officer down on Hwy 100 near the stink plant an wanted all Deputies to call in and report for duty. We all jumped in our personal vehicular and radioed in to receive instruction and description of the vehicle in question, there were so many of us stopping cars and pulling traffic over. When the night was over there were so many officers from so many different departments involved in the search for the the guy that took the life of a fantastic human being and also had the nerve to take the life of another great officer Patrolman Henrique Carrizales. Dave I worked with you at the Brownsville Herald then again in Law Enforcement. You were a Gentelman’s Gentelman and you left a lasting impression in many officers all over South Texas.

Ben Champion Deputy Constable Ret.
Cameron County Pct. 8

September 20, 2020

Almost forty years after you went on our final Patrol. I still remember the night you were murdered like it was yesterday. Several of us were at the Pancake House in Brownsville when the Border Patrol Agents sitting next to us had their radios go off it and all call of Officer Down which they thought was a fellow Border Patrol Agent. My friend and fellow Deputy Sheriff were not on duty that night but moments after the BP Agents got their call our beepers went off that there was an officer down on Hwy 100 near the stink plant an wanted all Deputies to call in and report for duty. We all jumped in our personal vehicular and radioed in to receive instruction and description of the vehicle in question, there were so many of us stopping cars and pulling traffic over. When the night was over there were so many officers from so many different departments involved in the search for the the guy that took the life of a fantastic human being and also had the nerve to take the life of another great officer Patrolman Henrique Carrizales. Dave I worked with you at the Brownsville Herald then again in Law Enforcement. You were a Gentelman’s Gentelman and you left a lasting impression in many officers all over South Texas.

Deputy Constable Ben Champion Ret.
Cameron County Pct. 8

September 20, 2020

I was given a bracelet to wear by a police officer friend of mine. I looked up the number of the EOW ,i found you.
Thank you and your family for your service. I wear this bracelet with much more pride now.

Michele Boyens
Friend of a friend

September 20, 2020

I miss you. Having you taken away has over shadowed my life. We were so close and it hurts so much still. You loved children. I have children and grandchildren and I wish you could be here to enjoy them with me.

Christy Rucker Ferrara

May 17, 2020

Rest in peace Trooper Rucker.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 14, 2020

David was my very best friend and we spent a lot of time together. He was such a good person, and I miss him ... David loved his home that he had built himself at Port Isabel. He loved his kids so much, he was always talking about and about his wife Teresa...I was a locomotive engineer at the tIme and David was always recruiting me to go to work for DPS...I did eventually get into law enforcement in 1984 and retired in 2009,

David, my friend, rest easy and know we think of you daily....

Chief of Police, retired Brady Parker
McAllen P.D. Combes Police Department

April 19, 2018

RIP Trooper Rucker.

Deputy Constable Anonymous Anonymous
31 years of service

April 12, 2018

Trooper Rucker: I just saw the news report on KRGV 5 about your life and that of the other victim, Police Officer Carrizales. I am not in law enforcement but I have extreme respect for those who serve and protect. You are a hero to many. May you be in complete joy now standing with God, our Father. May God bless your family. I am a private citizen who does and will honor you for your commitment and sacrifice. Rest in peace.

Ruben O'Bell
Texas House of Representatives

September 3, 2015

I was about 12 years old when I first saw David. He was the best friend of my older brother. We lived in Homestead, Florida at the time. David was about 16 or 17 years old, but I remember his beautiful smile and how handsome he was. It broke my heart to hear of his death. David you were and still are a hero.

Bee Buxkemper
Friend

February 27, 2015

To fully appreciate the heroes of the present, we must recognize our heroes of the past. Your heroism and service is honored today, the 32nd anniversary year of your death.

Your memory lives and you continue to inspire. Thank you for your service. My cherished son Larry Lasater was a fellow police officer who was murdered in the line of duty on April 24, 2005 while serving as a Pittsburg, CA police officer.

Time never diminishes respect. Your memory will always be honored and revered.

Rest In Peace.

Phyllis Lasater Loya
mom of fallen Pittsburg (CA) officer Larry Lasater

August 10, 2013

David,

You knew that for the 15 years that we friends, you were always a loyal and true friend. You always treated me as one of the family. Our friendship was genuine and lasting. I can't tell you how much you are missed. I think I lived more at your place than at my own home. Thelma would know as she also was so kind to me. Just to let you know David, my son Justin also began his stint as a State Trooper in 2006, I am so proud of him.

I just wanted to you to know David how much of an influence you were to me, as I just retired after 27 years in Law Enforcement.

I would love to connect with Thelma and family again. It's been a long time.

Brady Parker Chief of Police (ret)

Brady Parker Chief of Police (Ret)
Very Close Friend

January 6, 2012

Honorable Sir,

I never had the honor to have met you. I met your son in junior high and by then I too had also lost my dad. He was always a good friend to me. Soft spoken and well mannered. Never would anyone have imagined that he had endured such a tradegy. God only knows I had my issues at having lost my dad to natural causes. His persona, unknown to him, would later help shape my attitude as I would also face such a similiar tradegy in my immediate family. Only difference was that my loss was not in service. Sir, your son and one of our other classmates would share a common life altering experience, the loss of a father in the line of duty, just five years later. I am here to let you know that your service and sacrifice are not forgotten. I tell your story to my family as we drive on that fateful highway. I tell law enforcement officials from the State Prison, that bears your name and that of Officer Carrizales, that I know your son and that your sacrifice is a poignant reminder each and everyday whether I am on duty or not. The same remains with that of the Segovia-Lopez Unit near Edinburg. It is my hope my children will tell their children your story, I know they will.

Blindfaith
U.S. Marines

October 29, 2011

Wish I could have met you, believe me when I say you have lived on in stories and in the hearts of many. 30 yrs ago my family lost a great man.

Theresa Rucker

September 29, 2011

I personally know Debra, one of the daughters of Trooper Rucker. I know its not easy growing up with a parent not in the picture, and its a challenge everyday.

I know that your father would be very proud of you, not only as a daughter but as a mother as well. God bless all officers regardless of service branch. RIP trooper Rucker.

pat cole
friend of family

September 21, 2011

The 30th Anniversary of Trooper Ruckers murder is coming up soon. I have much respect for him and the men and women who protect us. I would like to personally pay my respects to him. Can anyone tell me where he is buried?

Lionel Alva, Jr.

June 9, 2011

Trooper Rucker your grave lies 5 feet from my grandfather's. I often go and see my grandpa after a long night of taking calls and I always go to your headstone and say a prayer. Whenever I see a trooper on a stop in my city I stop and make sure they are Code 4. Sometimes they are grateful, sometimes they are annoyed and sometimes I'm a Godsend. Either way we are all brothers...until that day Trooper Rucker.

R.G.
San Benito Police dept

December 1, 2009

Remembering you on this anniversary. You would be so proud of your beautiful grandchildren. New baby boy this year named after you. Love You! Your daughter, Debra Rucker McGonagill

Anonymous

September 29, 2009

Rest in peace brother.

Trooper II
Texas Highway Patrol

September 29, 2009

Trooper David Rucker, Friend and Brother;

I was the Pastor at St. Andrew's By The Sea Church, Port Isabel, Texas, as well as part time Cameron County Park Ranger detailed to Cameron County Parks on S.Padre Island during your "watch". Our church was down the street from your family's home.

Monday morning September 28 1981 we gathered at the cafe in the Sea Ranch Hotel for coffee and conversation with other "locals" and it was always a treat. You shared that you were seriously considering teaching law enforcement and criminal justice but felt that you would long for your patrol duties if you did teach. You were talking about taking time "soon" and spending time with your children and ponder your choices. The next evening these dreams were changed tragically and fatally.

Your loss to your family, our community and our lives still resinates today twenty-eight years later. You and our brother Enrico Carrizales from Los Fresnos, Texas shared the same fate from the same hate-filled man. Two brothers, one night, families changed forever.

Prayers and Blessings for your family and for all who treasure your optimism, courage and selfless sacrifice every day of your patrol.

Rest now in peace and may you now possess the hearts and spirits of so many of us.

The Rev. Robert W. Mikol
Port Isabel/So. Padre Island and New Jersey

The Rev. Robert W. Mikol
Former Pastor St. Andrew's By The Sea, Port Isable, Texas

September 7, 2009

Many years have passed but your memory lives on. Rest in peace brother.

Trooper II
Texas Highway Patrol

September 29, 2008

WE'LL MISS YOU DAVID RUCKER, AND NOT JUST WHEN YOU WERE ON PATROL. BEHING OUR TEARS WE'RE SMILING, WE KNOW THAT GOD HAS CLAIMED YOUR SOUL. YOU HAVE MILES OF SANDY BEACHES UPON WHICH YOU LOVE TO PLAY. AND, DAVID, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PICTURE QUITE LIKE YOU SEE TODAY? YOU DON'T SEE THAT ASPHALT JUNGLE, ONLY STREETS OF SOLID GOLD. NOT ONE SINGLE RED LIGHT FLASHING, NOT ONE SINGLE TROOPER ON PATROL. THERE ARE NO BARS UPON THE WINDOWS, AND NO LOCKS UPON THE DOORS. THE TEARS HAVE TURNED TO LAUGHTER, CRIME AND PAIN YOU'LL SEE NO MORE. YOU SEE THE SOULS THAT LOVE YOU, WHO HAVE ALREADY REACHED HEAVEN'S DOOR, AND BECAUSE YOU LIVED AMONG US EACH DAY, YOU'LL SEE MORE AND MORE. SHAKE HANDS WITH THOSE JUST LIKE YOU, WHO MADE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE. WE THANK YOU, DAVID RUCKER, YOU FOUGHT SATAN FACE TO FACE.

THIS WAS READ AT MY DADDY'S FUNERAL

DEBRA RUCKER
DAUGHTER

April 3, 2008