Lackeys celebrate 50th anniversary

Earl and Karen Lackey will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary July 12, 2014, at Alaska Raceway Park, Palmer.

They met after a football game during Karen’s first year of teaching English at Waterford High School, Waterford, Wisconsin.

Earl and Karen were married at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Deerfield Illinois on July 11, 1964. Karen’s sister, Suzan Zuiker, was maid of honor and Bill Staebler, Earl’s friend since grade school, was the best man.

They lived in Waterford; first in an apartment, and then they bought a tiny house along the river. Karen taught English and drama, assisted with costumes for plays and coached forensics. Earl worked as an engineer at the Burlington Brass Works, then owned and operated Waterford Racing Motors, and later worked for J.I. Case Company as an agricultural products rep and then in sales in the concrete pump division. They purchased the family farm in 1970 and raised beef and horses. Jim was born while they lived in Waterford. Earl and Karen moved to Curtiss, Wisconsin, where Earl worked as a sales rep for Galvan Tractor in Abbotsford, Wisconsin, and they bought a run-down dairy farm and continued to raise beef until they got the bright idea of actually running a dairy. Michelle, Michael and John were born on the farm. They added two small farms to the original parcel and milked 70 head of dairy cows and ran 555 acres. They sold the farm and Earl bought a truck and hauled various products until they answered an ad to build a dairy in Alaska.

Under contract, the Lackey family moved to Alaska in 1983 and built a dairy at Point MacKenzie, which eventually was 1,300 acres and 250 head of cows. After it was operational, Earl returned to heavy equipment sales, first for NC Caterpillar and then for Yukon Equipment. He retired in 2014, but still serves as a sales consultant. Earl has served on the Board of Directors of MTA for more than 20 years. Karen taught GED classes at Palmer Correctional Center and vocational classes in a JTPA program, worked for the state of Alaska (clerk-typist for Department of Corrections and legal secretary in the Attorney General’s office). Then she returned to teaching high school (English, history, AP world history and AP art history) at Wasilla High School and then Colony High School until she retired in 2008. They continue to actively operate Alaska Raceway Park, which they have owned and operated since 1998.

Both are members of the Matanuska Valley Sportsmen (Earl is President), the Alaska 49ers, SASS, and the Republican Party 12th District. Earl is a member of the NRA, AOC, and Valley Boyz (a sporting clays team).

Earl and Karen enjoy shooting sports and compete in the SASS (Cowboy Action Shooting, as well as their interest in drag racing; and traveling, recently cruised the Danube River. Earl enjoys restoring old cars and antique tractors. Karen enjoys costuming, needlework, reading and writing.

Earl is a member of King of Kings WELS church, serves on the church council and as elder; Karen is a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and participant/team member in ACTS and study groups.

They have four children, James Lackey, Michelle (Don) Maynor, Michael (Kim) Lackey, and John (Heather) Lackey; and five grandchildren, Tanner Lackey, Morgan Carter, Mikaela Woolley, Kaden Lackey and Teddy Maynor.

Future plans include continuing to operate Alaska Raceway Park, being active in local politics, traveling, visiting friends and enjoying their children and grandchildren.