Ken Lacy
Ken Lacy enjoyed 94 years on this earth and he is much loved by his family and friends. He passed away into the loving arms of his Savior on Saturday, January 13, 2024.
He was born September 6, 1929, the son of Curtis and Ruth Lacy and grew up in Roessleville, NY, with his sister Carolyn. He had a serious intestinal illness at age four and was a semi-invalid for three and half years but fully recovered. He helped his father build a house and develop his father’s real estate project on Lacy Lane before he headed off to Cornell University to earn a degree in agriculture. He was an Ag Agent for the New York State Agricultural Extension Service in Otsego County, NY for three years, where he met Betty, fell in love, married her, and adopted Debra. He then went to McCormick Seminary in Chicago and earned a Bachelor’s of Divinity degree in Theology. He pastored First Presbyterian Church of Brighton, IL for ten years, and was an Associate Pastor of Apostle Presbyterian Church of West Allis, WI for seven years.
In both churches he implemented dynamic programs that explained the Bible in visual and memorable ways – The Bethel Series for adults, and his own creations: an after-school program for school-aged kids he called Youth Club, and a teen program that used Young Life concepts called The Alley Door.
In 1976, he was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and then pastored several small nondenominational churches in Wisconsin and Michigan. His ministry had a focus on healing and deliverance. In retirement, he wrote about his spiritual journey in a self-published book called Walk With Me and he wrote two Bible study courses for children, Old Testament Overview and New Testament Overview, and gave them away for free.
He was community-minded: during the 60’s civil rights movement he walked with Martin Luther King, Jr. In the early 70’s he led teen groups to help do restoration projects in Milwaukee’s inner city and welcomed Vietnamese immigrants. In the late 70’s and 80’s he created a close-knit community of Christians that lived near to each other, as well as welcoming several people to live with his family for long periods of time.
His family fondly remembers him for his engaging stories and sense of humor. He took his family on epic vacations on a shoestring budget, and though they didn’t love reading every historic marker he could find nor the leaky tents used for camping, those vacations made for fond memories of rafting and body surfing rivers, riding waves on so many beaches, rail trail biking, hiking mountains, and visiting family in upstate New York. When his children were adults, he and Betty orchestrated weeklong family reunions either at the beach or in the mountains that were vital to keeping everyone in touch. Ken always believed God would supply all his needs and that worked out to be true. He was never wealthy but never was in need and he lived a rich life.
Ken was an avid jogger, then walker, all his adult life, and loved history and adventurous excursions, including hiking up Colorado mountains. His daily walk with the Lord was his greatest passion and focus.
He and his beloved late wife, Betty, raised four children, Debra Chicorelli (Bill Sellinger), Robert Lacy, Miriam (John) Woods, and Marsha (Domingo) Gallardo and he has ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Betty Lacy, and granddaughter, Heidi Ruth Woods.
Funeral services were held on Friday, January 19, 2024, at 12 p.m. at Mt. Hope Church, 202 S. Creyts Road, Lansing, MI 48917 with Pastor Joe Mead officiating. A private burial will take place at the Benton Township Cemetery.
To view Ken’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com.
The family is being served by the Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home.