Jack Tuchten, 82, a South Water Market wholesale produce distributor, died of natural causes Sunday, March 19, in his Chicago home. Mr. Tuchten quit school and began working at the age of 12 to support his family after his father became severely ill. He took over the family’s pushcart business, which had been operating on Maxwell Street, and eventually opened an outdoor stand in the area. In the early 1970s, Mr. Tuchten opened his wholesale business, which specialized in fruits, vegetables and dry foods, in a retail area at 19th and Halsted Streets. He had moved Jack Tuchten Produce Inc. to 59 W. South Water Market three years ago, according to Mr. Tuchten’s brother Harold. Mr. Tuchten stopped working in the store about 1 1/2 years ago after he had kidney problems, but he still operated the business via telephone with his granddaughter Dawn Arkin, who currently runs the business. Harold Tuchten described his brother as a gregarious, hardworking man with an extraordinary amount of intelligence. “He didn’t have an education, but he was street smart,” he said. “He was a great schmoozer.” In addition to Harold Tuchten and Dawn Arkin, other survivors include his wife, Sophie; a son, Max; a daughter, Ann Arkin; another brother, Mitchell; two sisters, Pearl Berman and Becky Davis; and two other granddaughters. Services were held Tuesday.
