Lendel Eugene Lacy

He was born on July 1, 1940, in Cape Girardeau, MO. As a child, he enjoyed weeklong Monopoly games with his brother, Jerry. He delivered newspapers via bike in Jackson, MO. He later became a typesetter and photographer for the Cape County Post. He was a 1958 graduate of Jackson High School, where he played the clarinet in the marching band. This is also where he met the love of his life, Ruth Doberenz.

Lendel attended a year of college, then enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1959. He was stationed in Biloxi, MS, and served overseas as an Aircraft ECM Repairman in England and Turkey. He was later stationed at Lackman Air Force Base in Topeka, KS.

On April 22, 1962 (Easter Sunday), Lendel and Ruth were married at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jackson, MO. The hotel on their wedding night cost them $4. She then joined him in Topeka, KS. When Lendel was honorably discharged from the USAF, he and Ruth made their way to Kansas City, MO. They were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Lisa and Candice. He and Ruth enjoyed Couples Club, which included square dancing and ballroom dancing.

Lendel was a dedicated employee of Bendix, which later became Allied Signal, and finally Honeywell, working in the lab as a senior engineering technologist. His projects were top secret and he was never allowed to disclose what he was working on. He would joke with his family that his job was so secret, even he did not know what he was doing. During his 34-year career, he was awarded two government patents in his name.

His hobbies included traveling and camping with his family all around the United States, taking his grandkids on golf cart rides, working crossword puzzles, and building and assembling electrical devices such as a T.V. and stereo system. He also enjoyed woodworking and home improvement projects. He could usually fix just about anything including the kitchen sink (and anything else that his children and grandchildren seemed to break, even while on vacation). He loved visiting Arizona during the cold months to enjoy the beautiful weather and their wonderful granddaughter. They enjoyed afternoon bike rides, picking grapefruit, and singing in the church choir.

He joined the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church in 1962 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Topeka, KS. He was active at his home church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Grandview, MO, as well as an associate member of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Tempe, AZ.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Walter Lacy and Mollie Leona Lacy.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Ruth Lacy; his brother, Jerry Lacy (Angelica); his daughters, Lisa Lacy-Mars (Ken) and Candice Gorenflo (Bill); five grandchildren, Ashley (Scott), Cassandra, Lacy (Christopher), Rosa (Harrison), and Zachary; and four great-grandchildren, Natalie, Juliette, Nolan, and Hattie.

In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations are made to Lutheran Hour Ministries or Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

A Visitation for Lendel will be held Tuesday, January 28, 2025 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 5901 East 135th Street, Grandview, MO 64030. A Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 AM. Burial with full military honors will occur in Mount Moriah Cemetery South, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64145. A Reception will be held at 1:00 PM at the Church.