Luces Maurice Faulkenberry

Dr. Luces Maurice Faulkenberry passed away peacefully on April 28th 2025, at 82 years of age. He was always Luke to his friends. He is survived by his beloved wife of 25 years Patricia "Patsy" Kate Gaspard Hicks Faulkenberry. His two children Laura Lea Faulkenberry and Matt Lucas Faulkenberry, his adopted son/grandson Jamen Faulkenberry Hicks, his stepchildren Wendy Kate, Scott Edward, and Susana Brooke Hicks, his grandchildren Evelyn Lea and Rhys Roberts Keevil, Cameron Hicks Cruzan, and Joshua Tyler Hicks, as well as his son in law Robert Keevil. Luke was preceded in death by his grandchild Ronald "Ronnie" Flemons.Luke is survived by his two younger sisters Beverly Jackson with her husband Leon Jackson and Pamela Jones with her husband David Jones, along with a niece and nephews.

Luke was born September 24th, 1942, in Douglas, Arizona to Iona Mae (Judah) and Luches John "Boots" Faulkenberry. Luke was raised in Moriarty and Tijeras New Mexico surrounded by his mother’s family and his stepfather, Kenneth Stout. Luke entered New Mexico Highlands University after his Junior year in High School in 1959. He joined the United States Air Force in 1960, where he served in Minnesota as a Missile Electronics Technician. After his Honorable discharge, Luke worked and learned the art of designing electronics circuitry and helped develop electrical projects. That experience spurred Luke to earn a Physics degree with a Math minor at University of Texas at Arlington in 1970.

Luke married Dixie Lea Bogard on Feb 19th, 1966, and they settled in Waco and then Axtell Texas, where they had two children, Laura Lea and Matt Lucas. Luke was able to live a country lifestyle during these years, perfecting his skill as an amateur photographer with a focus on landscapes and portraits of the natural world. The family vacations always had long stretches on the side of a country road so Luke could take the perfect photo of a new vista. Luke also played guitar, wrote music, and would happily sing to you any old-time country ballad that you could think of and many of his own creation. He wrote and had copywrites on numerous songs.

Luke taught at Texas State Technical Institute, finding his true academic passion for teaching students. The academic and technical focus of Luke’s career led him in 1982 to The University of Houston College of Technology, where he spent the rest of his career, becoming Associate Professor of Engineering Technology and retiring as an Emeritus Professor. Luke collaborated with other academic professors and students to create a body of work on electrical technology and power systems and his co-written textbooks were translated into many languages. Luke continued his education while pursuing his career, earning a Masters and Doctor of Education (Ph.D.) at Texas A&M. Luke was sometimes referred to from his daughter as Dr. Dad. Luke also participated in IEEE and served on numerous UH committees and associations.

Luke had an exciting second half of his life that started when he met and married Patsy Hicks on March 11th, 2000. Luke and Patsy traveled extensively, enjoyed their families and friends, and made singing a family business as they would both would sing in honky-tonk bars near Kingwood Texas. Luke loved getting to know his stepchildren and their children. Luke and Patsy also welcomed into their grandson, Jamen, into their life and home, eventually adopting Jamen on November 16th, 2018. Luke and Patsy had a joy in life and each other that kept them moving forward, together.

Luke’s last years were colored by his decline with the onset of dementia, but he never lost his love of music and his love of Patsy. He will be missed for his kind heart, intelligence, and his love for family. Though he is no longer with us, his spirit lives on in the lives he touched, and we pray that God will rest his soul in peace.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made to the Dr. Luces M. Faulkenberry Endowment Scholarship at the University of Houston that was set up in 2015 and has helped support many students through the years (https://giving.uh.edu/engineering/faulkenberry).