Kanward Lee Faulk

Kanward Lee Faulk, age 79, of Lancaster, Ohio, departed this earthly life to his Eternal Home on May 17, 2019, at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio with his loving wife of 60 years, Ann, by his side.

Lee, as he was known, was born July 19, 1939, in Crowley, Louisiana to Ellis Albion Faulk and Pauline Ethyl (Morgan) Faulk.  The family moved from Louisiana to Port Arthur, Texas in 1953 when Lee was fourteen years of age.  He graduated from Port Neches High School in May of 1957.  He joined the United States Air Force in September of 1957. He served for four years of honorable service in Aeronautical Engineering and was discharged in 1961.  His tours of duty from 1957 - 1961 included French Morocco, Africa for two years, with his final two years at the 904th SAC AF Base in Winslow, Arizona.

Following his Air Force training he was granted a Secret Clearance and became employed with NASA in Houston, Texas.  He completed twelve years of dedicated service with the original Space Flight Programs as a Mission Control Engineer during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Flight Programs.  Working with the original Astronauts during their early years of Space Flights, Lee was involved in maintaining open Ground to Air communication with the Astronauts during their flights in Space.  He was honored with many recognition awards and was included, among other Mission Control Engineers, having their personal names engraved on a plaque and sealed in a capsule that was carried on the Apollo XI Flight to the Moon.  Upon the first Moon Landing by man, Neil Armstrong personally planted the capsule on the surface of the moon.  Lee hosted a “Moon Landing” celebration at our home on July 20, 1969, with other Mission Control personnel attending.

Lee transferred from Houston, Texas to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1973 to continue working in the Aeronautical Field in another capacity at NORAD (Cheyenne Mountain Facility) in Air Defense.  In 1984 he was transferred to work with Lockheed-Martin and the National Department of Energy in Denver, Colorado on the NASA Titan Space Program which involved travels to Washington D.C., New York, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.  In 1995, Lee left the Aeronautics Field and transferred to Piketon, Ohio to work with an Atomic Plant focused on the disposal of Uranium.

In 2000, Lee was requested to transfer back to Colorado to help supervise the closure of the Rocky Flats Uranium Facility near Denver, Colorado.  He retired in 2002 on five acres of Colorado mountain property and in 2007 moved to Lancaster, Ohio where he remained until his death in 2019.

Lee was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, W.A. Faulk; sister, Betty Jo (Faulk) Roberts; sister, Jenell (Faulk) Metz; sister, Sharon (Faulk) Courmier.

Surviving are his wife of 60 years, Margaret Ann (Doyle) Faulk; only daughter, Karen Cherise (Faulk) Oliver (Jeffrey); grandson, Brian Alan Schnurbusch (Kerstin); grandson, Justin Tyler Schnurbusch; two step-great granddaughters, Aly and Hannah Myers.  He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and uncle to all of his nieces and nephews.

He enjoyed mountain climbing, golfing, league bowling, league baseball, big game hunting, fishing, traveling, and competitive family activities.