On August 15, 1944, Dottie Kay Malone was born at McKinney City Hospital near Finch Park in McKinney, Texas, to parents Louie Brady Malone and Thelma Lee Lamb Malone. At the time, Dottie’s father, Louie, was a salesman for a local produce business in McKinney.

When Dottie was five or six years old, her family moved to Hugo, Colorado, where her father entered the cattle business with his friend, a McKinney businessman named Spencer Smith. Together, Louie and Spencer remained in business there for approximately five years. During that time, the Malone family welcomed Dottie’s brother, Michael Louie Malone, on February 17, 1953.

Around 1955, Louie experienced a health scare and mistakenly believed he had contracted tuberculosis. Wanting his children to be closer to extended family in case his illness proved serious, Louie moved the family to Nocona, Texas. There, Thelma became a nurse and later a hairdresser, while Louie returned to the produce business.

In 1957, the Malones moved back to Colorado, settling this time in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. Louie continued in the produce business and expanded his interests to include selling and servicing vending machines. Dottie and Mike attended local schools, thrived academically, and made many lifelong friends.

In 1960, Dottie met David Michael Lackie at Lakewood High School. David was an avid outdoorsman and a gifted athlete. In 1961, his high school football team won the state championship. Dave and Dottie were married in 1962 and have three children: Jeannie, Jeffery, and Steven.

In 1966, Dottie’s parents, Louie and Thelma, moved back to McKinney, Texas, after Louie developed emphysema and was advised that the warmer climate would benefit his health. Dave and Dottie remained in Colorado, working various jobs over the next few years. With her parents back in Texas, Dottie longed to be closer to them.

In the fall of 1969, Dottie traveled to McKinney to help locate a new home and explore possible job opportunities for Dave. During that time, she discovered that an iconic local restaurant was for sale. Steffey’s Jiffy Dog Drive-In had come on the market, and Dottie seized the opportunity for her and Dave to make a living there. She purchased the well-known burger stand from LeRoy and Duffey Steffey and also found a small home in the newly developed McKinney Heights neighborhood for themselves.

After much discussion, Dave agreed, assumed ownership of Steffey’s, and moved to Texas. The business thrived, with both Dottie and Dave running the establishment, and the “Jiffy Dog” maintained its legendary status for approximately twelve more years.

In the early 1980s, after many years in the restaurant business, Dave and Dottie sold Steffey’s and opened what became the second antique shop on the downtown square in McKinney, called Dottie Kay’s Antiques. There, the couple sold antiques to the public, and Dave became a skilled craftsman refinishing antique furniture. Around this same time, Dottie developed a reputation as a gifted interior decorator.

The Lackies became known as some of McKinney’s earliest “house flippers,” having purchased, remodeled, lived in, and then sold numerous historic homes throughout the downtown area. Despite having no formal training in interior design, Dottie’s natural talent and eye for detail became well known in the community.

Dottie went on to work for Howell’s Home Furnishings in McKinney, where she served as the in-store decorator and was later hired to decorate private homes throughout the Metroplex. She later joined Baker’s Brothers, a nationally known home furnishings company, where she worked as the Accessory Buyer.

Dottie worked for more than twenty years at Baker’s Brothers while continuing to maintain her own private decorating business for clients and friends in and around McKinney. Countless homes in the area were shaped by Dottie’s talents, and to this day, her distinctive style can still be seen throughout the community.

Dottie loved watching the news and was very aware of all things political. She also loved having dinners and outings with her life-long friends. She had the luxury of traveling the country both with her jobs and with her family and closest friends whom she loved very much. She was very outspoken about her beliefs and didn't shy from strangers. She was known for readily striking up conversations with almost anyone she met on the street. She remained sassy until the end and had a very classy personal style. So many people often complimented her on her style and especially her distinct fondness of clothes and jewelry. They also mentioned her strikingly beautiful white hair which she had since her early 30's. Everyone who knew Dottie would profess these facts. She never met a stranger. Never. She would tell you all about it.

Dottie is survived by her three children: Jeannie Marie Lehmkuhl of Camanche, Iowa; Jeffery Michael Lackie and wife, Shelley Stinson Lackie of Allen, Texas; and Steven Joseph Lackie and wife, Daniele Elizabeth Lackie of Gainesville, Texas. She is also survived by her brother, Michael Louie Malone and wife, Nancy Kay Malone of McKinney, Texas; only niece, Shelley Kay Loving and husband, Neil of Palm Beach Garden, Florida; sister-in-law, Dianne Landry and husband, Bill of Seattle, Washington; and half-brother, Dr. James Perry Malone and wife, Nancy Malone of Wichita Falls, Texas.

Dottie was the grandmother of eight grandchildren: Ashley Karn and husband, John; Perry Lehmkuhl and Alisha; Megan Williams, Matthew Lackie and wife, Maggie; Mark Lackie and wife, Kailyn; Paige Trimble and husband, Hank; Megan Negrete and husband, Phillip; and Ashton Gellerup and husband, Spencer.

She was also the great grandmother of twenty great grandchildren.

Dottie was preceded in death by her husband of nearly sixty-two years, David Michael Lackie; her parents; her great grandchild, Autumn Geneva; and her half-brother, Dr. Brady Arnold Malone of Wichita Falls, Texas.

Dottie will be laid to rest at Ridgeview Memorial Park in a gravesite that adjoins that of Autumn Geneva.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, June 1, 2026, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas, 75013. The service will also be live streamed at the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/dottie-kay-lackie. After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location. Following the funeral, a procession will make its way to Ridgeview Memorial Park, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas, 75013 for interment. 

The family will receive guests during a visitation from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at the funeral home.