Born on October 5, 1951 in El Paso, TX to Alfred and Mary Luckett, Michael Edward Luckett left this world for the next on July 26, 2026.
Michael grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of El Paso. From age 11 to 16, he spent magical summers at The Skinner Brothers Wilderness Camp outside Pinedale, WY. His experiences there shaped his character and influenced how he lived the rest of his life.
After graduating from Coronado High School, Michael attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, earning his degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. He continued his education at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, LA, earning his Doctor of Medicine degree and induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 1982. Michael completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Southern California and later completed a fellowship in spine surgery at Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis, MN in 2000.
He provided orthopedic care in Great Falls, MT for 33 years. First in private practice, then with Great Falls Orthopedic Associates, and finally as part of Benefis Health System. Upon his retirement in 2021, Michael moved to Lander, WY to spend as much time as possible in “the best place in the world” – the Wind River Mountains.
Michael leaves behind his wife Jaybe Floyd, sons Kyle Luckett and Austin Luckett, daughter-in-law Lane Luckett, brothers Alfred Luckett and Robert Luckett, sisters-in-law Christine McCarthy and Leah Haenselman, four nephews, and one niece. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Ann Luckett Estenson, and brother-in-law Mark Estenson.
A memorial in Michael’s honor will be held at United Spirit Community Church (formerly First Congregational United Church of Christ), 2900 9th Ave. S., Great Falls, MT 59405, on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 10:30 AM MST. The memorial will also be live-streamed via the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Great Falls, MT Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Weissman Hood Institute (formerly the McLaughlin Institute) for basic research into Alzheimer’s Disease (Weissmanhood.org). Or, to the Jackson Hole Land Trust, “Wind River Program” for conservation efforts in the foothills of the Wind River range (jhlandtrust.org/get-involved/donate).
