William Thomas Lackey

William Thomas Lackey, known to friends and family as Bill, passed away on June 6, 2024 after a short two month battle with NSCLC and other associated issues.  He was 78.  He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dot (née Dorothy Cook), daughter Lisa Johnson (Charles), and son Todd (Joni), granddaughter Gabrielle Johnson, great granddaughter Navy, as well as brothers Randall S. (Abby), Keith F. (Thomasina) and sister Kim (Walter) Honeycutt. He was predeceased by his father, William Ray Lackey, mother, Juanita Thomas Lackey, and nephew, Scott. He is also survived by his precious dog Lucy.

Bill was born on June 6, 1946, in Duke Hospital, Durham, NC.  He grew up in Winston Salem, NC, graduating from Reynolds High School in 1964.  He and Dot were married on June 4, 1966, and enjoyed 58 years of love, partnership and deep respect for each other.  They moved from NC to SC in 1971 where Bill worked at Hampton Automotive for 25 years, becoming the General Manager for the last 15 years of his employment.  

Following the automobile business, Bill became a Financial Consultant, and used his accounting and financial expertise working for Homes by Design (Home Builders) and Image Resource Group.  Following his retirement from IRG in 2019, Bill and Dot moved to the mountains of NC where they were able to live their dream of becoming full-time mountain people.  

Bill and Dot were members of Trinity UMC in Blythewood for more than 40 years, and he was actively involved in the chancel choir, chairing numerous committees and cooking with the men for church related meals or events. He served willingly on three building projects during his tenure at Trinity, (current sanctuary, CLC, and Youth Building). He was a charter member of the Blythewood Rotary Club and served on the board of Columbia Country Club, where he was president for two terms.  He loved almost all genres of music and had extensive trivia knowledge of many musicians from the 60s, 70s and 80s.  Bill loved dancing,playing golf, tennis, snow skiing, hunting, traveling, and had plans for more trips on his bucket list.  

After moving to Jefferson, NC in 2019, Bill and Dot joined West Jefferson United Methodist Church, where he immersed himself in the outreach committee, trustees and finance committees, as well as special programs such as the Duke Endowment Literacy Program that was initiated in 2023 and will be held again in 2024.  Bill easily made friends wherever he went and won the love and respect of many folks as they saw his abilities and hard work put into practice as a team player.  He especially loved the music program opportunities at WJUMC, participating in the church choir, a mixed quartet (Jubilee Singers) and the Men’sVocal Band.  He was thrilled to sing solos when invited, and we know he will be a fine compliment to the bass section in the heavenly choir.  

Memorial services will be held at West Jefferson UMC in West Jefferson, NC on Saturday, June 15 at 2:00 PM, and a Celebration of Life will be held at Shives Funeral Home Chapel in Columbia, SC on Sunday, June 23 at 2:00 PM. The family will receive friends following both services.  

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to WJ United Methodist Church, PO Box 826, West Jefferson, NC 28694, to Trinity United Methodist Church, PO Box 864, Blythewood, SC 29016 or to a charity of your choice.