Jerry Don Faulk
Jerry D. Faulk, age 78, passed away on Monday, October 11, 2021, at Advanced Rehab and Healthcare in Wichita Falls, Texas. Final arrangements are under the direction of Melton-Kitchens Funeral Home in Breckenridge, Texas. Graveside services will be at the Necessity Cemetery on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, beginning at 2:00 p.m. with JB Sparks officiating.
Jerry was born in Lockett, Texas, on September 25, 1943, to the late Jasper Dee Faulk and Virgie “Birdie” Smith Faulk. Jerry graduated from Lockett High School in 1962. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Midwestern University in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in both mathematics and physics. He then attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he earned his doctorate in physics under the tutelage of C. A. Quarles. In 1972, Jerry was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Jerry never married. Jerry prematurely opened a very novel “Apple Computer Store” in Wichita Falls which he also prematurely sold. Jerry worked briefly in the oil and gas industry. He found his passion teaching Manufacturing Engineering Technology at his re-named undergraduate institution Midwestern State University and was instrumental in efforts to bring a full engineering program to the university. Dr. Faulk taught at the university for nineteen years before his retirement in 2009.
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents and all eight of his older siblings. His much-adored niece, Deanna Susan Smith, died in March 2019. He is survived by a cousin Brenda Sue Smith and husband George of Abilene.
The family offers their profound appreciation for the wonderful Christian care provided by Beyond Faith Hospice, especially Heather Aaron and Lisa Chizmedia, to the staff and nurses at Advanced Healthcare and Rehab in Wichita Falls and Electra Healthcare Center and to the staff at Royal Estates assisted living facility, all of whom greatly enhanced the quality of Jerry’s life during his last years.
Memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Wichita County, the C. A. Quarles Physics and Astronomy Undergraduate Scholarship Fund at TCU, or the Halverson Excellence Fund Computer Science Scholarship at MSU-Texas. Condolences can be made online at meltonkitchens.com.
