William Howard Lacy

William Howard Lacy EWING - William Howard Lacy, 87, of Ewing, passed away on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at the Hamilton Continuing Care Center. The son of Howard Lacy and Jessie Lacy Shorter, he was better known as “Lacy” to friends, “Bunchie” to family, and “Bill” to coworkers. He was a graduate of Trenton’s New Lincoln School and Trenton Central High School. Straight ahead jazz and classical music were his passion. He started studying music and playing the trumpet as a young boy in Trenton and was a member of the original Colored YMCA Band and Junkie Joe and his Jiving Jodies at the Carver Center Y. His personal aspirations were advanced when he auditioned for and was accepted in the 427th Army Band, the last segregated band in the military. He was honorably discharged and went on to take classes in composition, harmony and music theory at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on the GI Bill. Bill loved the Philadelphia sound and played with the Philadelphia Clef Club Orchestra, as well as the Philadelphia Legends of Jazz. In addition, he played with several local orchestras and marching bands and was an early member of the Philadelphia African-American Museum’s Triumphant Trumpets. He also headed his own group – the Bill Lacy Quartet. He was able to bring his music home by booking noted musicians from throughout the east coast at the H+H Jazz House on Saturday afternoons and he was honored as one of the Top Ten Entertainers of Mercer County. As a proud veteran, he considered it an honor and a privilege to volunteer as a bugler and play taps at the funerals of fellow vets. He thought it was immensely important to give them the dignity of a live bugler. He also volunteered at local memorial events throughout the Mercer County area and beyond. He was a nationally recognized, award-winning editor of the US Postal Services Postal-Pen newspaper. He leaves behind to mourn his passing his loyal wife of 60 years, Elizabeth Carter Lacy, children Wanda, Theodore and Susan, grandchildren Ronald, Alexander and Lacy McNeill, Tiayrah, Savannah and Kaila Lacy, great-grandchildren Leila and Carter McNeill and Brendon Toler, goddaughter Andrea Shorter Moody, the Sumners family, and a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. Funeral service will be 12pm Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at Shiloh Baptist Church 340 Rev. S. Howard Woodson Jr. Way Trenton, NJ. Calling hours will be 10am until time of service at the church. Internment Ewing Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Hughes Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of William Lacy can be made to the Thomas A. Grice Academy of Music, PO Box 847, Trenton, NJ 08605.