David John Lackey went to be with our Lord on Monday, April 22, 2013. Funeral: 2 p.m. Thursday at Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst. Interment: Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednedsay at Lucas Funeral Home. David was born Feb. 17, 1939, in New Port Richey, Fla. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. While attending the university, he worked as a co-op student at Cape Canaveral for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, which became NASA. Following graduation, he continued to work at Cape Canaveral in support of the manned space program. In 1968, he accepted a position with Bell Helicopter Textron as an experimental helicopter flight test engineer. While employed at Bell Helicopter, David acquired the necessary certification to become a professional engineer. His position as flight test engineer for experimental helicopters required travel around the world for optimum test conditions. He spent time in the high mountains of Mexico and in Alaska for cold weather testing, in the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona, for Cobra weapons testing, and in Alamosa and Deadville, Colo., for high altitude testing. He also spent time in Israel flying with the Israeli air force. Some of the other locations where he did flight testing were Peking, China; Gongaar, Tibet; Canada, and Venezuela. As a senior flight test engineer for the V-22 (Osprey) tilt-rotor helicopter, he participated in the sea trials aboard the attack carrier USS Wasp. David was a faithful member of First Baptist Church of Hurst. He was faithful to support the church and its entire works to further its ministries. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. David was preceded in death by his father, John. Survivors: He leaves his beloved wife, Gail; daughters, Karen Trail (Chris) and Karla Grigsby (Jeff); his beautiful grandchildren, Terah Trail, Brock Trail and Emily Grigsby; his mother, Maxine, and sister, Phyllis Farnell. He also leaves to mourn him sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law and numerous nieces and nephews.
Published in Star-Telegram on April 24, 2013