OBITUARY
Francis Ke Liu April 18, 1938 April 2, 2022 IN THE CARE OF Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors Francis “Frank” Ke Liu, beloved husband, cherished father, loyal brother, and dear friend to many, passed away peacefully at his home in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, the 2nd of April, 2022. He was 83 years of age. Frank was born in Jinan, Shandong Province of China on the 18th of April 1938 the youngest son of three in the Year of the Tiger. His Tiger traits of courage, vitality, tenacity, and luck came to define every stage of his storied life. His family moved to Taiwan in the 1940’s and he studied Engineering at the prestigious National Taiwan University. Engineering brought him to the U.S. in the 1960’s, where he received a Masters in Civil Engineering from the University of Houston. In 1964, Frank’s life changed when he met the love of his life, Mary. They began as pen pals and ended up writing hundreds of love letters over several years. Frank had a way with words, composing beautiful love poems, and it was his magnetism that wooed Mary all the way from Taiwan to join him in Houston and eventually marry. They established roots in Houston and inspired the rest of their family to join them. It is Frank’s legacy and pioneer spirit that led to multiple generations setting up roots of their own in Texas to what it is today an enormous, eclectic, extended family. Frank’s career as a civil engineer in the oil and gas industry led him to work at many companies Brown & Root, Conoco, Bechtel, Saudi Aramco, and Fluor. His projects set world records, notably the largest record weight on wheels and record offshore lift. His career also took his adventurous spirit to live all over the world England, Holland, Saudi Arabia, which fueled his passion for travel and collecting. Frank was an intrepid traveler road tripping across the U.S. in the 60’s as newlyweds (never without his super 8 and film cameras) and taking his family along to see the world. From his travels, he became an avid collector of curios. To him, objects were more than just things. They captured moments in time and told a story of his journey through the world. From antique European clocks to magic carpets from the Middle East, Chinese terracotta teapots to petrified arrow heads from the Arabian desert, these collections showcase his curiosity and wonder. Frank was a gentle, soft spoken man of few words, but friends and family remember his kind, sweet, patient, carefree nature and a life filled with luck. Always surrounded by his wife, his children, his family Frank’s life was as abundant as his collections, filling his home and heart with love. Even in his last 15 years living with Parkinson’s, his fighting Tiger spirit proved to be brave, fearless, and resilient a true testament of how much he loved life and all of us. He will be so dearly missed by his family and friends. Frank is survived by his wife Mary, who stood by his side for 54 years with unwavering love and support; his daughter Julie and her husband Vinh; his son Allen and his wife Xiaodi; and his brother David and his wife Kehui. He is preceded in death by his parents Wei Ko and Yun Zhi, and his sister Mei and her husband Pei Ming.
In Memoriam