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Letter to the editor

A natural sailor who 'kind of rolled' when he walked

By STEPHANIE HAYES, Times Staff Writer
Published October 11, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - At 16, Harris Luckham escaped death.

He had a stripped-down Model T Ford "skeeter" with hair trigger steering - one slight turn, and the car bucked, launching the teen onto the street.

The skeeter sped through downtown St. Petersburg, Mr. Luckham frantically chasing behind.

He wasn't supposed to take the car out that day. But in the morning, his parents found out - they read the article on the front page of the newspaper.

* * *

He never cared for school, more interested in carpentry and sailing. His mother, father and siblings were all in the military, so Mr. Luckham followed, joining the Coast Guard.

"He was a natural sailor," said his wife, Irene Luckham. "You walked behind him and he kind of rolled."

Once, he sailed across the Atlantic during a hurricane. The turmoil left him guarded, and he never liked to lose sight of land. He didn't like cruise ships, because they looked top heavy.

Mr. Luckham won sailing awards and worked as a boat builder and a trim carpenter. He married twice before marrying Mrs. Luckham, 66, almost 40 years ago.

She loved how he cared for his children, she said. She thought he looked like John F. Kennedy, at least around the eyes.

He had a quiet personality. He never felt educated enough to make conversation with adults, and he preferred the company of children and dogs.

In 1973, tragedy struck. His youngest son, Dave, committed suicide by shooting himself, Mrs. Luckham said.

At the funeral, a friend tried to comfort Mr. Luckham - when a person puts a gun to his head, the friend said, he wants something quick and final.

* * *

The Luckhams traveled through 48 states. Mr. Luckham always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, but he never got there.

Recently, his health deteriorated. He had heart problems and trouble breathing. He had an unsuccessful hernia repair. He lost his hearing. A lifetime in the sun left him with skin cancer.

"He's never been a man who had to face much illness in his life," said his wife "He often said to me, 'I don't know how much longer I can stand it.' "

Saturday morning, on St. Petersburg's 51st Terrace, on the lawn of a vacant home, Mr. Luckham shot himself. He was 84.

He's not in pain anymore, his wife reasoned. She's thankful they did their traveling when they did.

She plans to take some of his ashes to the Grand Canyon soon.

Stephanie Hayes can be reached at shayes@sptimes.com or 727 893-8857.

Biography

Harris Luckham

Born: Dec. 27, 1922

Died: Oct. 6, 2007

Survivors: Wife, Irene, children, Paul and Kevin; grandchildren Jessica and Olivia; great-grandchildren, Conor and Hailey; two nieces; three nephews; predeceased by son David.

[Last modified October 10, 2007, 22:50:22]