Luckey remembered as people’s advocate

Longtime community activist died just days after filing for office

JEFF B. FLINN Managing Editor
Today, 06:00 AM

Mike Luckey, a regular in the political arena in Kendall County for the past two decades, died Saturday at his home just days after filing to run for county judge.

Luckey, 68, largely worked behind the scenes in the political arena, supporting candidates who shared his views on property rights and the constitutional limits of government.

Social- media posts referred to Luckey as “a devoted husband, stepfather, grandfather and passionate advocate for Kendall County.”

Luckey was born in Enid, Oklahoma, and raised in San Antonio. He spent his career at Southwest Research Institute as a principal engineering technologist before retiring in 2016.

He and his late wife, Janelle, made their home on a small farm north of Boerne, where he continued his lifelong service to his community, friends and family said.

In his campaign announcement published in the Nov. 2 Boerne Star, Luckey said his priorities included protecting property rights, defending constitutional freedoms, keeping taxes low and making sure county offices such as the Sheriff ’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office have the tools “they need to keep our community safe.”

The party primaries are set for March 3.

As the community remembered Luckey this week, an online post cited his “leadership in opposing overreach and protecting Kendall County’s freedoms,” adding his community activism left a “lasting impact on all who knew him.”

Boerne resident Michael Ethridge, owner of Oakridge Media and publisher of The Kendall Gentleman, took to social media to express his condolences.

“When I first dipped my toe into local politics back in Boerne High School, Mike was one of the first people I met,” Ethridge said. “We sat through countless Boerne City Council meetings together, and over the years both of us turned our focus to the Kendall County stage.”

Ethridge said Luckey was “a fierce defender of property rights and a firm believer in the constitutional limits of government.”

The media publisher also hailed Luckey as “a conservative’s conservative,” working tirelessly “to keep government in check, to help elect principled leaders, and to stand up for the ‘little guy’ when bureaucracy went too far.”