Donald Louk

Donald “Don” R. Louk, beloved son, brother, husband, father, papa, and friend, passed away peacefully on May 16, 2021, at the age of 78, in Killeen, Texas.

A short graveside ceremony will be held on Friday, May 21, 2021 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.

Don was born in Bowden, West Virginia to the late Roy Louk and Genevieve Lambert. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Hae Wol, aka “Grump”; his children Tommy and Ruth Louk, William and Deborah Louk, Janet and Roger Redding, and Donna and Holden Heltard; his five grandchildren, Tommy, Mary Catherine, Rosalie, Genevieve, and Andrew; and his three sisters Carol, Judy, and Geneva Louk.

As a young man, he joined the Army to proudly serve his country like his father and grandfather before him. He enlisted in 1961, served during the Vietnam War, and with perseverance had a 20+ year military career, getting stationed all over the world. In 1983, he retired at the rank of Sergeant First Class. He received the following commendations, medals, and ribbons over his lengthy career: National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal (with three Bronze Service Stars); Army Service Ribbon; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; Meritorious Unit Commendation; Army Commendation Medal; Bronze Star Medal; Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (Unit Citation); Good Conduct Medal (with one Silver 1 loop); Overseas Service Ribbon (Numeral 4); NCO Professional Development Ribbon (Numeral 1).

He enjoyed fishing with his sons when he was young, and one of his lifelong past times was grilling in the backyard and smoking brisket. He loved sports and his favorite team was the Texas Rangers. He could be found watching and talking about NASCAR most weekends, and looked forward to meeting his friends for breakfast every Thursday. He loved telling ‘dad jokes’ and making everyone laugh.

Later in life, he and Hae Wol attended church together and he found the Lord and was baptized. During his last moments, he enjoyed having read to him the following Bible passages: Psalm 103, Malachi 3, Revelations 21, and Romans 6:23, all of which brought him much comfort.