May Lacey

© The Cheyenne Star

Thursday, April 19, 1979

Submitted by: Leila Evett

May Lacey Rites Held

May Lacey, one of the first white citizens of the Kiowa Community near Hammon is returning home Wednesday for her final visit. May, who began teaching career in 1910 by teaching at the Whiteshield School, is remembered by adults over the world today as their one-time rural school teacher. Her teachings took her to areas in Roger Mills, Washita, Beckham and Custer Counties. May, the last of the dying breed of pioneer school teachers, was born 29 March 1890 near Brownwood, Texas to George Valentine Lacey and Nancy Catherine Stewart, died Sunday morning 8 April 1979 at the Oak Hills Nursing Home in Jones, Oklahoma where she had lived since March 1973.

In 1894 she moved with her family to the homestead on big Kiowa Creek which she considered "home" all her life even though school, teaching, and later her health prevented her from residing there.

When she retired from teaching, her remaining fruitful years were spent with her brother, George H. Lacey in caring for their aged mother. May watched her parents, sister and brothers precede her in death so she has no immediate family member to survive her. Survivors are nieces, nephews, cousins too numerous to mention--to say nothing of the world of friends and former students who bear witness to this gracious woman's strength of character and endurance.

Funeral services were held Wednesday 11 April 1979 at the Marin Funeral Chapel, Elk City, at 2 p.m. Interment was in the Kiowa Cemetery on the Lacey Homestead that has always been "Home" to May.

Note: Not all of the "Original Lacey Homesteaders' are interred here.

Samuel Mack Lacey was born 7 July 1878 in Brown County, Texas. He was married in 1897 in Old Greer County, O.T. to Pearl Crockett daughter of James and Jane Crockett.

To this union were born two sons:

Frank Crockett md Velma Hodges
Fred Clinton "Buck" md. Henrietta Wright

Pearl died in 1903. Sam left his sons with his mother Nancy Lacey and followed the cattle trails--cooking for cattle drovers, on ranches and breaking wild horses.

Sam died in Safford, Graham County, Arizona on 2 Novmeber 1923 from heart condition "mitral insufficiency" with contributing cause "high blood pressure" and was interred in the Safford Cemetery.

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