Edward H. "Ted" Luckett II

The Adrenaline Hound
Here's the wind blowing at 50 miles an hour and the sailboat tossing like a lettuce leaf in a salad bowl, up and down, 30 feet at a time. And here's Edward H. Luckett, raising and lowering the sails, expertly tweaking them, never panicking. "He was very cool under pressure, always laughing," said Jeff Beneville, Mr. Luckett's longtime sailing companion. "He was a tremendous sailor."

The two sailed together in numerous New York Yacht Club "maxi-yacht" races, which originate in Newport, R.I. Mr. Luckett's wife, Lisa, called the maxi-yachts, which are 75 to 85 feet long, the "ultimate racing machines." They carried her husband and other sailors to Bermuda many times.

"It's a passion," Mrs. Luckett said. "It's the ultimate rush. The wind and salt and speed in your hair, and the mixing with the elements." At Mr. Luckett's memorial service, she served Dark and Stormies — rum and ginger beer.

Mr. Luckett, 40, of Fair Haven, N.J., went into equities trading in his late 20's and was a product manager at Cantor Fitzgerald. "It's the same young-male-bonding business," Mrs. Luckett said. "It's the same rush. It's about doing a million things at the same time and all the guys staying together."

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 21, 2001.


Edward H. Luckett II, 40, sunny seafarer

When Edward H. Luckett II died in the Twin Towers collapse, his wife, Lisa, received condolences from all over the world, including Bali, London and Switzerland. Some were from clients he hadn't dealt with in five years.

That, Lisa Luckett believes, is a testament to his sunny nature, his kindness and his genuine concern for others. Also, his sense of humor, which his sister, Alexandra Luckett of Manhattan, described as being "sort of like (Jerry) Seinfeld, but it was never at the expense of others."

"He just made friends everywhere," his wife said.

His sister said her brother was "just the sweetest person who ever lived" and "could make everybody laugh until they cried."

Mr. Luckett, 40, of Fair Haven, was a partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, a bond brokerage firm, and a products manager at its subsidiary, eSpeed, where he sold electronic trading platforms.

Known as Ted, Mr. Luckett grew up boating, drawn to it by his father, the late William Stone Luckett II. Before he got married nearly 11 years ago, he spent most of his free time crewing in competitive sailboat races.

When he sailed for the Obsession syndicate, he landed a part in the 1985 movie "Masquerade" as a crew member and helped teach actor Rob Lowe sailing.

But he gave that up, as well his home in Manhattan, after the first of his three children were born. His desire to be close to the beach took the family to Fair Haven, where he could play with his children on the beach and take the ferry to work.

"He liked being outside. He'd see a nice day and we couldn't get out of the house fast enough to enjoy it. He would stay on the beach until dusk," his wife said.

A graduate of Mamaroneck High School in Larchmont, N.Y., he was senior class president. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1984. A champion soccer player, he coached his daughter's soccer team.

"He was great at everything, but I always told him that the best thing he ever did was being a great father. He made them feel like they were on top of the world," his wife said.

Mr. Luckett was a member of St. George's-by-the-River in Rumson, Larchmont Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, Manhattan and Ship Ahoy Beach Club.

In addition to his wife and sister, Mr. Luckett is survived by his children, Jennifer Grace, 7, William Stone III, 4, and Timothy Wyatt, 4 months; his mother, Diana W. Luckett, of Larchmont; sister Kathryn Luckett-Brown of Boston; a brother, James Taylor Luckett of Cape Hatteras, and nieces.

A memorial service is to be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. George's-by-the-River, Rumson. Donations can be made to Luckett Children's Educational Trust, c/o Arthur H. Tildesley, 130 Pine Cove, Fair Haven.