Royce W. Faulkner

Austin, Texas has lost one of its treasures with the passing of Royce Faulkner on June 25. A native Texan and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Royce Faulkner had deep roots in Central Texas and in Austin. Throughout his successful career, he established his place as a leader not only in local business, but in the community’s political, social, environmental, and educational affairs. He took an active role in this community for more than 50 years. Royce was a steward of the land and loved spending time at his ranch in Kerr County, Texas, with friends, family, and charitable organizations. Upon his passing, he was an active member of the Texas Wildlife Association. As founder of Faulkner Construction Company in 1962, Royce built a firm that became a leader in the Austin and Central Texas construction market. With the founding of affiliate companies, the Faulkner Group of Companies expanded to become a major player in almost every aspect of the construction industry. Royce actively sought to improve the Austin community through his service and participation in many organizations, both professional and civic. He was particularly active in the support of educational programs for young people, especially in efforts teaching technical and engineering skills. He was a founding board member of the Crime Prevention Institute, an organization devoted to providing job skills to detainees in the Texas correctional institutions in order to equip them for productive life after their release, and to prevent recidivism. He was an ardent supporter of Schreiner University. Among his many leadership roles, Royce was an early Chairman of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees. He chaired the Governor's Advisory Committee for the Capitol Restoration and Expansion project at the State Capitol, a project that returned our State Capitol to its glorious past as well as prepared it for use by future generations. He was President of both the Austin Chapter AGC and the Texas Building Branch AGC. He was also a behind the scenes advisor and confidante to many of Austin’s state and local elected officials. Born May 2, 1930 to Wendell and Bertha Dugger Faulkner, Royce is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Donna Mae, and by his three sons, Scott and wife Catherine, Don, and Brian, grandchildren, Christopher, Jennifer, and Emily Faulkner, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Wendell, Joe, and Gene Faulkner. Royce and his company left their mark on the Austin landscape, as builders of many of its semiconductor manufacturing facilities including Advanced Micro Devices and Samsung; numerous schools including Akins High School and J.J. Pickle Elementary; and churches including Riverbend and Hyde Park Baptist. He also left his mark on much of the rest of the Texas construction industry as many Faulkner employees, schooled in Royce’s devotion to honest business practices, outstanding customer service, and quality workmanship, moved on to become leaders of other Texas construction firms. Many a Central Texas construction worker, skilled carpenter, project manager, or executive of his companies learned hard lessons in how business should be done after an invitation to do better that started with, “Sweet Pea. Meet me at Whataburger. We need to talk…” He deeply cared for his employees and his family. A memorial service will be held Monday, July 1 at 2:00 PM at the Smith Family Chapel at Riverbend Church, 4214 N Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, Texas. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Settlement Home, 1600 Payton Gin Road, Austin, TX 78758, www.settlementhome.org; Schreiner University, 2100 Memorial Blvd. Kerrville, TX 78028-5611, www.schreiner.edu; or the charity of your choice.