Robert William Luck

Robert William Luck, 76, a loving husband, father and grandfather died peacefully September 23, 2023 surrounded by family at his Portland, Oregon home.

Luck embodied the spirit of aloha. His quiet kindness and humility were contagious. He touched thousands of lives through four decades of hospice social work, palliative care, counseling and victim advocacy across Hawaii, Oregon and Washington state.

Born April 2, 1947 in Honolulu, Luck was the son of famous Hawaiian entertainer and cook "Lucky Luck" (Robert M. Luck) and Samoan dancer Ruth Kennison, who together with his brothers William and Frederick Luck, predeceased him.

Luck inherited his father's talent for humor, cooking, language, performance and storytelling. Although soft-spoken, Luck had a magnetic personality and his clever quips injected humor into any moment. He lit up on stage while dancing hula or performing oral stories. His creative spirit and passion for stories led him to publish two novels, including "The Kingdom of the Rainbow" and "The Tides of Wailuna"; the latter based on his childhood experience surviving a 1960s Hawaii tsunami.

While Luck was a model Punahou High School student, he nearly didn't attend college because he didn't think he could afford it, but a trusted Punahou secretary applied on his behalf to the University of Hawaii. Luck landed a scholarship playing football as kicker for the UH Rainbow Warriors. Later he transferred to California State University, San Francisco, where he worked odd jobs to pay his way through school, graduating in 1972. He was the first in his family to attend graduate school, earning a Master of Social Work from California State University, Sacramento in 1978 shortly before returning to Hawaii. He married Ellen Garcia, on March 22,1981 at Punahou's Thurston Memorial Chapel.

Luck was deeply spiritual and practiced daily meditation for more than 40 years. His ability to cultivate mindfulness translated into an inescapably calming and engaging presence in conversations. It was not uncommon for strangers to divulge their life stories, which he always listened to with respect.

An empath at heart, Luck's uncanny gift for connecting with others led to a career serving some of the most vulnerable populations, including terminally-ill patients, the elderly, victims of abuse and children. His belief in the greater good of humanity inspired a life of service starting as an AmeriCorps Vista volunteer in the Virgin Islands in the late 1960s (where he became fluent in Spanish).

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Luck established the City of Honolulu's Victim/Witness Kokua Services program to support violent crime victims. While special assistant to the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu, Luck was instrumental in passing legislation to protect sexual assault victims' rights. His work was honored in 1985 city and state resolutions.

Luck would go on to serve in various hospice leadership and clinical roles throughout his career in Hawaii, Bend, Oregon; Seattle; and Portland. After acting as Providence's Director of Palliative Care for Oregon, Luck returned to providing direct care to dying patients before retiring in 2015.

Beyond his career, Luck's service extended into millions of smaller interactions throughout his life - whether that meant stopping to change a stranger's flat tire or delivering meals to shut-in seniors. He strove to lead a life informed by the golden rule: to treat others how you want to be treated.

This philosophy spilled into an unwavering devotion to his family. Luck's love for his children manifested in small daily acts such as cooking family dinners and making banana pancakes on Sundays, plus bigger acts like dropping everything at a moment's notice to listen to a heartbroken kid or read resume for a big job opportunity or officiate his daughters' weddings.

And his love and dedication to Ellen was unshakeable. He was always planning their next romantic getaway or picking a thoughtful gift. He wrote love letters to his wife until he couldn't physically write anymore.

Luck and Garcia maintained a strong connection to Hawaii even after moving to Bend, Oregon in 1992 with their three children. Later, the family lived in Issaquah, Washington throughout the 2000s before he and his wife moved to Portland in 2010.

The Pacific Northwest proved the perfect place for Luck to explore nature by taking his children on long camping trips, fishing excursions, canoeing adventures and hikes. And despite a nagging old football injury, Luck maintained an active lifestyle, coaching his daughter's soccer team, walking his dogs, rowing and throwing a football with his son.

Even when Luck was struck with a neurological condition, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), that took away his ability to walk in his later years, he found a way to stay active outdoors by cycling on his recumbent bicycle and taking Oregon coast trips with Ellen. His perseverance and resiliency enabled him to remain grateful and find ways to connect with his loved ones in spite of his illness.

Throughout his life, Luck's curiosity propelled him to continuously learn, whether that meant picking up bits of languages while traveling to places Japan and Portugal, experimenting with the latest new technology or taking classes to hone his storytelling craft in his 70s. In his 60s, he overcame a childhood fear of drowning to learn to scuba dive so he could explore reefs in the Philippines with his children.

Luck is survived by his wife Ellen M. Garcia and their children Daniel Luck of Austin; Julia Luck of Honolulu; and Marissa Mejia-Luck of Houston; their spouses, Karen Jan Luck, Marcus Luck, Douglas Mejia; and his grandchildren, Kailen, Kelvin and Isaac Luck.

A private ceremony will be held in Honolulu this November in Luck's honor. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in Luck's honor to the National Parks Foundation to support his love of the outdoors. But perhaps the best way to honor Luck is to strive to live a life with the spirit of aloha.