Alice Leary Lackness

Alice Gordon Leary Lackness lived 101 incredible years before passing away on Friday, December 15, 2023.

She was born on July

12, 1922, in Eagle Pass, to Rex and Gertrude Garwood Leary.

Alice was the eldest child of three and the only daughter, which meant she was adored by her parents and her two younger brothers, Bobby (Robert) and Tommy (Thomas). She spent her childhood in Eagle Pass and teenage years in Laredo, Texas. Alice threw herself into a number of clubs and activities at Laredo Martin High School and with the Methodist Church. After graduating high school in 1939, she attended The University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in English, was a member of Mortar Board, and had a very

July 12, 1922 - December 15, 2023

active social life. She graduated in 1944 and returned home to Laredo to teach English at Martin High School.

Alice met Captain Berdines “Bud” Lackness on a blind date in Laredo and they married on April 1, 1945. After the war, the couple moved to Bud’s home in South Dakota so he could complete his college degree. The military sent them back to Commerce, Texas, where Bud worked on campus and Alice completed her master’s degree at East Texas State University. A few years later, Alice and Bud relocated to Floresville, TX, where they both taught in the high school. While in Floresville, they were blessed with 3 children - John, Ann, and Elaine. Alice also briefly taught Junior High English, but settled into the joy of being a second

grade teacher for over 20 years. After retirement, she and Bud loved to travel throughout the US and Mexico.

Alice was a lifelong Methodist and an active member of Floresville United Methodist Church. She was an accomplished seamstress, talented watercolorist, voracious reader, caring teacher, dedicated bridge player, and loyal friend and mentor to many. Most of all, she was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother who will be dearly missed.

She was preceded in death by her husband Bud, parents Rex and Gertrude Leary, brothers Thomas R. Leary and Robert G. Leary, son-inlaw John A. McGregor, and nieces Melanie and Shawn Leary. Alice is survived by her children John Lackness, Ann Lackness Brown (Jay), and Elaine

Lackness McGregor; grandchildren Shelley Vinyard (Arvin Ganesan), Tommy Vinyard (Sarah), and Lesley McGregor; great-grandchildren Rosine Ganesan, Eleanor Vinyard, and Ruby Ganesan; and nieces Cathy Leary (Bill Germer) and Robin Leary.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2024, from 4-6pm at Floresville United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, corner of 4th and B Streets, Floresville, TX.