Along Hwy. Y about a quarter mile from Hwy. 21 in De Soto, there is a small community called Luckey. The place was named for the Luckey family. There are no Luckeys living there now, at least none listed in the phone book who still hold the family name, but at one time, the Luckey family was well known and prominent in both Festus and De Soto. In fact, those mentioned in Tanglefoot: Portrait of a City by Howard C. Litton might be considered quite fortunate.
Dr. Frank. S. Luckey started his medical practice in Festus in 1907, and remained there until 1918. He was described as “a tall good sized man” who played football on the town’s team. Frank was said to have an office in the Pursall Building and later on the second floor of a building at 228 Main St. He is listed as the coroner in 1913 on several death records.
Frank Luckey, however, was just one of the Luckey doctors. A photo taken in 1910 features four cousins who became doctors. In addition to Frank, there were Dr. H.L. Luckey, who also was a doctor in the De Soto area, and two other cousins, Dr. F.L. Long and Dr. W.E. Gibson, who also served as the mayor of De Soto in the 1930s and 40s. The men were said to be descendents of the ladies of the Hearst family. All four men were cousins – two were Luckey; two were not – but pretty close.
And those weren’t the only members of the family with good fortune. Frank C. Lucky was judge and the Justice of the Peace in Festus and had an office at 39 Main St. from 1915 to 1921. One Dr. Frank Luckey’s brothers was known as a builder.
The community of Luckey, which is said to have been the home of Dr. Frank Luckey’s grandparents, was once a focal point, at least for a few. It boasted a rural school, and Luckey Baptist Church still makes its home there.
