Obituary of John Wendell Lackens, Jr.

John Wendell Lackens Jr. peacefully passed away on September 10th at home with his family. He was 89.

Born in Eveleth Minnesota, John grew up in Superior, Wisconsin. From a very early age, John knew he wanted to become an architect and achieved that goal, first attending Superior Wisconsin State College in 1952-1954, then the University of Minnesota from 1954 to 1958, where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

It was at the U of M, he met the love of his life, Barbara Jean, and they were married in 1957. Together, with their young son, they moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where John earned his Master of Architecture degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. While in Graduate School, John worked part-time with the firm of Sert, Jackson and Gourley, as well as The Architects Collaborative.

After returning to Minneapolis, John was employed at The Cerny Associates from 1960 to 1970. Then, in 1970, John, along with partners Herb Ketcham and Bob Bell, co-founded The Architectural Alliance. There John was the Managing Partner and the Principal-In-Charge of numerous Corporate, Public and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport projects. John was registered to practice architecture in 12 states.

In 1983, John and Herb Ketcham became Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. In 1994, The Architectural Alliance received “The Minnesota Firm of the Year” award from the Minnesota American Institute of Architects for their outstanding contributions to the advancement of the profession in areas of design, technology and service.

John retired from full-time practice in 1995 and spent the better part of the following 3 decades with his lovely bride at his side, enjoying time spent with friends and family at their Minneapolis home, up at their Northern Wisconsin cabin or at their home in Rio Verde, Arizona and traveling throughout the US and foreign countries around the world. John avidly collected Replica Farm Toys, a pursuit that took them to countless toy shows around the region. He was a natural born organizer and oversaw his 1960 Harvard Graduate School of Design reunions in Cambridge (2000), Paris (2005), and Tokyo/Kyoto (2010), as well as 44 years of Red Baron Balloon Club Stomps at his cabin. John was active in the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, serving on the Board of Directors, and was Chairman of the Board in 1981-1982.

John and Barb were married for 60 wonderful years and especially loved watching their grandchildren grow, supporting them in their many school programs and athletic events, and their higher education endeavors. Together they were so proud of all their grandchildren's accomplishments and treasured every moment spent with them.

John was preceded in death by his beautiful Barbara Jean, and his parents, Dorothy (Williams) and John Wendell Lackens Sr.

He is survived by his children, Greg Lackens and his wife, Angi; Cathy Homer and her husband, Phil; and grandchildren John Homer and his wife, Molly; Ben Homer; Grace Homer; Sophi Lackens and David Lackens, and great-grandchildren Evelyn and Peter Homer.

A Funeral Mass will be held for John and a celebration of his life will take place early in October. Memorials in John’s memory may be made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities.