Lacy L. Houdek

Lacy L. Houdek, FNP-BC, 48, passed away Thursday morning, March 22, as a result of a traffic accident while running, on N.M. Highway 104.
Born in Las Vegas, N.M., Lacy spent her childhood on a farm in Belen, N.M., and traveled with her father's military career to San Antonio, Texas; Panama, and Washington, D.C. She spent many summers on her grandparents' ranch in Las Vegas.
Lacy always had endless energy and loved to talk and interact with people. She excelled in school at every level and, much like in her adult life, she participated in many organizations and athletic teams, and Lacy made friends everywhere she went. From Washington, D.C., Lacy traveled to Austin, Texas for college. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Texas at Austin and was a Longhorn for life. Lacy completed a master's degree coursework in microbiology from West Texas A&M University, her RN from Luna Community College, and a master's degree in nursing from the University of New Mexico.
Her education and drive for knowledge never ceased - nor did her love and devotion to her family and patients.
She married in 1992 to high school sweetheart, Jeffrey Houdek, at Immaculate Conception Church in Las Vegas. After that, Lacy began a family in Texas and raised three children while pursuing her dream of being a healthcare provider.
In 2001, Lacy moved her family back home to Las Vegas to be near her grandparents, whom she loved unconditionally. Lacy started her career at the Las Vegas Youth Clinic but soon opened her practice, Meadow City Family Clinic, where she worked to improve the health of Las Vegas, one patient at a time, and brought a personal touch to healthcare.
She served her community by volunteering at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and many organizations and schools in Las Vegas and surrounding areas. Hours before her unexpected death, Lacy posted a Gandhi quote for her work-family that read, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
Lacy mentored students from middle-school age through graduate-level NP students to share her passion for health and medicine.
Her love for fitness was evident as was her love of running. Lacy would run for hours and loved every second of it, but she never ran out of energy. Lacy wouldn't hesitate to help her family, friends, patients, or even complete strangers.
Between her daily workout, long work hours, and Friday date-nights with her husband, she continually worked on her next big idea. As a smart and strong-willed professional woman, devoted wife, mother, friend, daughter, and healthcare provider, Lacy was a role model to many and had faith that could move mountains.
Her greatest pride and joy was her family and spending time with her children, Katherine, Mackenzie, and Connor. Lacy always kept her faith and was never short on those big ideas. She led by example, living every day to the fullest and with God as her guiding light. Lacy truly lived out the words written on her office wall: Live, Love, and Laugh.
She is preceded in death by her maternal-grandparents, Joe and Evelyn Harris; paternal-grandparents, Eliseo and Rose Gomez and brother-in-law Justin Brady.
Lacy is survived by her loving husband, Jeffery T. Houdek of the family home; daughter and sons Katherine Houdek and fiancé Girard Maestas, Mackenzie Houdek and Connor Houdek, all of Las Vegas; parents Ed and Beth Gomez, of El Paso; brother Patrick Gomez of Texas; goddaughter Sabrina Romero of Las Vegas; godparents Kathleen and Patrick Gomez of El Paso; mother and father-in-law Jim Houdek and Joyce Brady of Sebastian, Fla.; sisters and brothers-in-law Michelle Houdek and husband Doug Koplow of Belmont, Mass.; Matt and Vicky Houdek of Benton, Ark.; Jenna and Paul Beckham of Dallas, Texas; John Brady and wife Anna Benitez of Plano, Texas; goddaughters Caitlin Diefendorf and Abigail Beckham and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.
A rosary service was to be recited on Tuesday evening, March 27, 2018, at Immaculate Conception Church in Las Vegas. The funeral service will be conducted on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 9 a.m., also at Immaculate Conception, with Father George V. Salazar as celebrant. Cremation is to follow after services and burial of cremains will follow at a later date.
Serving as casket bearers will be Mackenzie Houdek, Connor Houdek, Girard Maestas, Patrick Gomez, Thomas Gomez and John Baca. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959, or through stjude.org.
Visit rogersmortuarynm.com to sign the online register book.
Arrangements are under the direction of Rogers Mortuary, 600 Reynolds Ave., Las Vegas, 1-800-479-3511 or 505-425-3511.