Donald Thurlow Lacy

1934 - 2025

Donald Thurlow Lacy
September 15, 1934 - October 5, 2025
It is with great sadness that our family announces the passing of Donald Thurlow Lacy, who recently celebrated his 91st birthday.
Don was born to Thurlow Joseph Lacy and Catherine Gardner Young in Sacramento, California, on September 15, 1934. Growing up in Sacramento, Don enjoyed attending Sacramento Solons baseball games, hunting, horseback riding, and camping. He was also a Boy Scout.
Don joined the United States Air Force at the age of 18 and served honorably from 1952-56 as a Staff Sergeant during the Korean War. Don returned home and graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a B.A. degree in Industrial Management in 1961. Don began his career at the Lawrence Livermore Lab where he met wife Barbara. He then spent the next 40 years as a Manufacturing Engineer Manager for several companies.
Don enjoyed many hobbies throughout his lifetime including piloting small planes, gardening, hiking and fishing. Don and the family also spent many years enjoying their time in the cabin he designed at Tahoe Donner. His love of the American West both in terms of its history and diverse landscape inspired many of his oil paintings. Don became so skilled at painting that he built an art studio and began selling them at art shows. He was also an avid reader, enjoyed playing piano, learning a new language and drinking a good red wine during happy hour where he threw treats to his dogs. Don and Barbara loved taking road trips together especially those to visit the many national parks around the United States. Their adored Golden Retriever Katie joined them on some of these adventures.
Don is survived by Barbara, his beloved wife of 61 years, along with six children: Mark (Karen), Brad (Jenny Ji), Paul (Kim), Cindy, Sandra Tompkins (Richard), and Steven. His is also survived by 15 grandchildren: Brian, Anna, Kevin, Sarah, Lisa, Victoria, David, Justin, Nathanael, Rebecca, Reanna, Errin, Justin, Jeremy and Gavin. Great grandchildren include: Ben, Emma, Ashe, Nathan, Jayden, Josh, Garden, Sophia, Paisley, Ellie, Emerson and Payton. And Don loved all of his wonderful 13 family members who reside in the San Diego area.
Always the forward thinker, Don wrote up his biography before he passed away which also included some thoughts on what to include in his obituary. In Don's words, "he loved all his family, especially his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren to come. He loved and never forgot all the pets he had. He had joy with a few sorrows and ups with a few downs. He enjoyed all his friends, both old and new. Of his life, he would say like an old rodeo champ IT WAS A HELL OF A RIDE."
In lieu of flowers the family prefers that any donations be made to the "Best Friends Animal Society."