Vernon Edward Faulconer

Memorial services for Vernon Edward Faulconer, 76, of Tyler will be held on Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 10:00 AM at Marvin United Methodist Church in Tyler with Dr. Doug Baker officiating. A private graveside service will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler, prior to the service, under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Mr. Faulconer passed away Friday, August 7, 2015 at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. He was born June 4, 1939 in El Dorado, Kansas to Guy and Mary Agnes Parks Faulconer. He grew up on a small family dairy farm where he and his family took care of the cows, bottled the milk and sold it door to door in the hours before and after school. Through the help of his high school librarian and with support from his family, he was able to attend Grinnell College, a small but remarkable liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa. While he was always deeply grateful for the education he received from Grinnell, he felt the more important discovery for him was Amy Hamamoto, a student who had come from Hawaii to study at Grinnell. In December of 1959, Amy and Vernon married and moved to Marion, Kansas where there was nearby oil and gas activity. Having always wanted to be in the oil and gas business, Vernon was unable to find an oil company that would hire him so, with a small bank loan he began buying and selling oil and gas leases and used drilling equipment. During those early years, he and Amy had three children, Grant, Sara and Galen. After eleven years in the slowly declining gas fields of Kansas, Vernon moved his family and his business to Tyler, Texas in 1970 seeking better opportunities. In Tyler, he was able to improve his business and hired David Enright, his first employee, in 1974. In 1981, he formed Vernon E. Faulconer, Inc., an operating company and named David Enright as company President. Today, the company operates hundreds of wells in nine states with offices in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. As he became more successful, Vernon began to help others realize their dreams. He had a very strong belief that education could help lift people out of struggle and found the arts to be another avenue to personal growth. In 1984, he became an active member of the Board of Trustees at Grinnell College and with others, helped the school build a substantial endowment. Today, the school’s Faulconer Gallery serves as a centerpiece for the Bucksfaum Center for the Arts at Grinnell College. In 1990, Vernon established the Faulconer Scholarship for students in Tyler and the surrounding area. In the 25 years since he established the scholarship, he helped more than 750 students realize their dreams of attending college. One of Vernons’ greatest joys was watching of his Faulconer scholars realize their dreams. Today, Faulconer Scholars are working as teachers, counselors, lawyers, business professionals, nurses, engineers, physicians, and pharmacists, among a host of professions. In addition to these efforts, Vernon Faulconer served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dallas Museum of Art and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Chinati Foundation In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Richard Faulconer. He is survived by his loving family including his wife of 54 years, Amy Faulconer of Tyler; son, Grant Faulconer and wife Catharine of Houston and their children, Clark and Sara; daughter, Sara Faulconer Sands of Dallas and her children Peyton, Lauren and Ryan and son, Galen Faulconer and wife Renee of Tyler and their children, Grayson, Clayton, Carolyne and Frances; brother, Don Faulconer of Kansas and sister, Gylaine Zimmerman of Oklahoma City. Visitation is scheduled from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Monday, August 10, 2015 at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway, in Tyler. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 Harwood, Dallas, Texas 75201, the Chinati Foundation, 1 Cavalry Row, Marfa, Texas 79843 or a charity of your choice.

Vernon Edward Faulconer

June 4, 1939 - August 7, 2015