Lucy Garnett Lacy, MD

Class Year

1948

Affiliation

Alumni

Posted on: November 19, 2018

Dr. Lucy Garnett Lacy, 94, died September 25, 2018, following a brief illness. Born January 6, 1924, she was the daughter of the late William Edward Garnett and the late Lucy Goode Puryear Garnett.

She was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Dr. O.W. Lacy, and two daughters, Sallie Wilson “Paoli” Lacy and Lucinda Puryear Lacy. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cabell L. and Edward D. Kladky, Conestoga, and two granddaughters, Sara Elizabeth Kladky, Brooklyn, New York, and Ellen Garnett Kladky, Irvine, California.

A psychiatrist, Lucy practiced in Lancaster for 28 years and volunteered for many professional organizations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Richmond in 1944 and a medical degree from the University of Virginia Medical School in 1948. She completed residencies in both family medicine and psychiatry, and practiced medicine in Virginia and Connecticut prior to moving to Lancaster. Dedicated to better understanding the causes of mental illness, Lucy worked on a Lancaster-based University of Miami project studying the genetic factors in manic-depressive illness. She was a firm believer in the importance of mental health care, and she was quick to point out how much a listening ear can help someone in need.

Lucy was devoted to her extended family, especially her Garnett cousins. Raised in Virginia, she cherished nature and was especially fond of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She was an avid reader who loved Shakespeare and poetry. Even in her ninth decade, she could recite dozens of poems from memory. She was a lifelong Democrat who never missed an election.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Lancaster Public Library, University of Virginia Medical School, or Doctors without Borders.