Henry Wesley “Buddy” Faulkner, age 67, of Destin, Fla., died on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009.
He was born in Meridian, Miss., In 1942. He earned a bachelor of science degree in Industrial engineering from Mississippi State University in 1966 and later added a master of business administration from the University of Alabama in Decatur.
His early years in the workforce were primarily in engineering and manufacturing assignments with large corporations. Later, his career evolved into the area of sales and marketing, where he specialized in consulting and training. His clients, most of which were Fortune 500 companies, literally spanned the globe. Most recently, Faulkner was actively involved with Vistage Corp. in recruiting and mentoring groups of small business chief executive officers throughout the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. He had recently accepted a position with the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to teach international marketing and economics next spring.
He loved sports and lettered in baseball and football while at Meridian High School. At East Mississippi Community College, he excelled in both football and baseball, was a team captain, and is in the EMCC Sports Hall of Fame. While at MSU, he developed a love for golf, which he never lost. He was one of the top supporters and fund-raisers for “all things EMCC” and had been instrumental in establishing the “Excellence in Golf” initiative at the Golden Triangle Campus.
Faulkner served on the MSU engineering advisory board, where he provided expertise to the board in the area of entrepreneuring. For his work in this capacity, he received the MSU Engineering Alumni of the Year Award. He was a board member of the Canaan Recovery Foundation, a ministry for women recovering from substance abuse, located in Freeport, Fla. He was a member of the Cameron Club at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss. He was a member of the Episcopal Church and actively participated in a weekly Bible study with men in his community.
Faulkner was an avid reader, a lover of music and poetry and a prodigious philanthropist. He was truly a modern renaissance man.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at noon at Stephens Funeral Home Chapel with chaplain Randy Rigdon and William Buckner officiating. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery in Meridian. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at Stephens Funeral Home, which is directing the services.
Survivors include his wife, Tina Arnold Faulkner of Destin, Fla., formerly of Demopolis; his daughter, Stacy Faulkner (Christian) Ruckert of Atlanta, Ga.; his son, Steven Wales Faulkner, of Atlanta, Ga.; three grandchildren, River Christian Faulkner, Bella Raine Ruckert and London Wales Ruckert, all of Atlanta, Ga.; his brother, Benjamin Wales (Glenda) Faulkner Jr. of Bartow, Fla.; two sisters, Mary Alice (Larry) Sharp of Bradenton, Fla., and Jacqulin Louise (Wallace) Hay of Leary, Ga.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ben and Mary Faulkner, and a brother, Billy Louis Faulkner.
Pallbearers will be Charles Secrest, Andrew Salmon, Bubba Hampton, Joe Jackson, Steven Faulkner and Rick Hodges. Honorary pallbearers will be Eddie Lee, Billy Colloredo and the EMCC golf team.
Flowers will be accepted at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be sent to EMCC Development Foundation, P.O. Box 158, Scooba, MS 39358 or to the Canaan Recovery Foundation, P.O. Box 818, Freeport, FL 32439.