Wyatt James Lackey was born on March 3, 1977, in Osborne to Hank and Becky Lackey. He passed away on Dec. 24, 2022, at the age of 45.
Wyatt grew up in Portis spending his time with friends and family dreaming up big ideas. Some were constructive, some were not (like the frog electric chair he invented.) He loved seeing how things worked and taking things apart to study them. He made time for his family but also made it a point to have meaningful time with his friends.
Wyatt attended and graduated from Osborne schools then moved to Beloit to attend school at NCK Technical College in the electronics field. He graduated NCK with a degree in electronics and was quickly swayed by his college professor to take a job overseas in Kwajalein which is part of the Marshall Islands. He was never a huge fan of being that far from home and did migrate closer to Kansas shortly thereafter. He was married for several years and lived in Missouri with his wife and stepchildren, but his heart never left the small-town Portis, Kansas, life. He was able to purchase a house in Portis not far from his family and would live there until the end.
Wyatt lived for his family and friends. He would gladly give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. He never held a grudge against anyone and worried about the safety and happiness of others far more than he ever worried about himself.
Wyatt knew his music and his movies. He could verbatim speak every word to multiple movies including "Apollo 13," "The Goonies," "Uncle Buck," "Tommy Boy," "Kung Fu Panda" and so many more. He was an excellent musician on the piano, the guitar and even the occasional slide whistle or cowbell solo. He always knew what would make people laugh. He lived for that.
He was a machinist, a welder, a whiz with electronics and all around a jack of all trades. There wasn’t any problem Wyatt couldn’t find a solution to. Often, it would be far more complicated than it needed to be such as the can crusher that vacuumed the can through a tube across the room landing into the crusher, which activated a cylinder to come down and crush the can and drop it into a trash can. Way more complex than it needed to be, but there was a problem and there was a solution.
He is survived by his parents, Hank and Becky Lackey of Portis; his sister Whitney and husband Brad of Portis; his son, Landon Lackey of Pleasant Hill, Mo.; and two stepsons, Lucas O’Dell of Pleasant Hill, Mo., and Logan Onwiler of Raymore, Mo; and a niece and nephew Aydan Dill and Deecon Dill of Portis.
He is preceded in death by Clarence and Marian Lackey (paternal grandparents) and William and Bertina Urban (maternal grandparents).
Wyatt has been cremated per his choice. We will not be having a service at this time but a celebration of life at a later date as I know Wyatt would have preferred that over a funeral home and tears.