Raleigh Eugene Lackey, 89, slipped peacefully into heavenly slumber, surrounded by family on Friday, October 15, 2021, trailing the setting sun in Valley Center.
Raleigh was born in Udall, to William Andrew Lackey and Viola May (Swindell) Lackey on October 18, 1931. His family left their rural farm community of Rainbow Bend and moved to Valley Center when Raleigh was age 13. He attended Valley Center schools where he participated in baseball, football, basketball, and graduated from VCHS in 1949. After graduation, Raleigh enlisted in the United States Air Force and reached the rank of Senior Master Sgt. He married the love of his life Bonnie (Fink) Lackey in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1952. His bride sailed across the big pond aboard the Queen Elizabeth ship to join Raleigh where he was stationed in Laon, France. Raleigh and Bonnie started their family overseas, then Raleigh was assigned to air bases back in the states where he continued his military career as a meteorologist. The couple expanded to a family of six by 1958 when Raleigh was assigned to Schilling Air Force Base in Salina. Raleigh served in the Kansas Air National Guard and Bonnie took their four children on fun summer road trips in the family station wagon to visit Raleigh wherever he worked. Raleigh was a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Wichita for 37 years and a familiar voice on NOAA weather radio alerts before he retired. He coined silly weather terms like “snirt” to describe a mixture of snow and dirt. God and family was always first for Raleigh. He was a charter member of First Baptist Church (Grace Connections) in Valley Center and served as a deacon, Sunday School leader, choir member, church camp counselor, and was a Gideon who volunteered to distribute bibles. Raleigh’s love of sports was evident throughout his life. He worked the wind gauge at State Track Meets on the campus of Wichita State every year for decades. He helped organize the first little league in Valley Center and coached basketball, football, track, and baseball over the years for kids and grandkids. He and wife Bonnie bowled on a couple’s league for many years. Raleigh earned his bachelor’s degree in Business from Newman in 1978. He audited foreign language classes at WSU and spoke fluently in Spanish, German and French. He coached teams for grandchildren well into his 70’s and was a substitute teacher until age 83. Raleigh was a lifelong entertainer and performed at Wichita’s Cowtown Museum as a reenactor named “Lucky Luke the Drugstore Cowboy.” He played in a band known as the “Harmonica Hombres” with musician Madison West and teamed on albums with singer Dave Deutschendorf and fiddle player Jeff Pritchard. He wrote songs, played guitar and harmonica, and cut six albums to be enjoyed by his family and friends. Raleigh had a brush with Hollywood in 1989 when he was cast as the tv weatherman in a quirky movie, “Twister” filmed in Tornado Alley. The movie starred Harry Dean Stanton and Dylan McDermott. Always the king of corny “dad jokes” Raleigh enjoyed his own jokes as much as anyone and threw out a previously unheard riddle even as his end of life approached. He loved crossword puzzles and word scramble. Parkinson’s never dulled his sharp mind when it came to solving word games. He completed his final word scramble just two days before he passed. A CD of his favorite recordings lullabied “Silent Night” in German as he closed his eyes on his final earthly sunset, just three days shy of his 90th birthday.
Raleigh is preceded in death by his parents Bill and Viola Lackey, sister Vivian (Lackey) Denison, brother-in-law Dr. Terry Denison, son-in-law Brad Yoakum, great nephew William Burkholder. He is survived by his spouse Bonnie Lackey, children Linda (Craig) Hill, Kevan Lackey, Karen (Mason) Mosiman, Ronda Schwab (Gary Dochow), grandchildren Jason (Julie) Reffner, Jarod (Erin) Reffner, Rachel Yoakum, Blayne (Joe) Alamo, Janna (Steve) Atwood, Dallas Yoakum, Adray (Ryan) Dull, Airien (Shyanne) Lackey, Tasha (Henry) Wertin, Nathan Lackey, Tara (Austin) Allen, Tyler (Kathryn) Mosiman, Tawna (Chad) Goforth, Tanner (Dusty) Mosiman, Lauren Schwab, Kristen Schwab, niece Leslie (Daryl) Rutschmann, nephew Dr. Mark (Laura) Denison, niece Becky (Ted) Hartsig, nephew Steve (Lisa) Denison, numerous great nieces, nephews and cousins, 39 great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren and one on the way.