Daniel Island Families: Meet the Lackey Family

Our next stop in the Daniel Island Families series is the Lackey home on Jordan Court in Etiwan Park. You’re likely to see this family of avid bike-riders on the cycle-friendly trails and roads around the island. We had a chance to sit down with John, owner of Palmetto Wheelworks, a concierge bicycle repair and sales service right here on the island, Michelle, a Financial Management Specialist with the U.S. Department of State, Nickolai, a rising first-grader at the Daniel Island School and family dogs Chloe and Daisy.

Where are you from originally?

John Lackey (JL): Michelle is from St. Ignace, Michigan and I’m from Wichita Falls, Texas. We’re both retired from the Air Force where I was a Security Forces instructor and Michelle was a Senior Master Sergeant, managing finances at the various bases she was assigned to. We met in Guam.

What attracted you to the Charleston area, specifically to Daniel Island?

Michelle Lackey (ML): Not long after I got a promotion in Germany in 2006, the Air Force sent us to Charleston. We originally lived in Summerville, but we knew we wanted to move to Daniel Island. We wanted a good environment for Nickolai to grow up in, one with a really good K-8 school. It feels really good to let your seven year old ride his bike down the street to his friend’s house without worrying about him.

JL: Initially, we had looked at places like Colorado, Washington, Texas. But we were really drawn to the whole master plan idea of Daniel Island. It creates a community feeling. When Michelle got her current job at the old navy base, we knew it was time to move here.

What attracted you to the house you live in now?

ML: We bought this house when we moved to Daniel Island in 2013. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. It was just enough space for the three of us and, with the open layout, I can watch Nickolai playing while I’m cooking in the kitchen.

JL: And I loved the tall trees all around the backyard!

Where do you like to hang out - on or off Daniel Island?

JL: We go to the beach with the dogs. We also like to ride our bikes to Bellinger’s Island to paddleboard or cast a line.

As a family, you ride a lot together?

JL: Yes, we all ride together a lot, especially on the trails of the island. Nickolai’s been riding without training wheels since he was three…we were just up in Michigan where the three of us rode the ten miles around Mackinac Island, in Lake Huron.

ML: Sometimes, I’ll just ride by myself early in the morning, usually completing about 20 miles on the Parkside.

JL: And I just completed the 60 miles James Island Ride yesterday with the Coastal Cyclists Group; most of the time, however, I stay on Daniel Island and I manage to cover about 40 miles without leaving the island.

Speaking of riding bikes… John, your business Palmetto Wheelworks is based on Daniel Island. Can you tell us a little more about it?

JL: I was actually already retired from the Air Force when we moved to the Charleston area, I became a Social Studies teacher at Fort Dorchester High School. But I have a real entrepreneurial spirit and I knew I wanted to start my own business. I’m an avid rider, so it made sense to start with bike repair. I started Palmetto Wheelworks out of my garage when we moved here to the island. I’m starting a mobile operation in September, complete with on-line scheduling and a Palmetto Wheelworks van, so I’ll have a lot more presence here on the island - and in the tri-county area. I’d like to expand the business eventually; I’m also thinking of starting a Palmetto Growth Exchange Program, where families who’ve bought a smaller 12” bike for their child can trade up for a larger one as their child grows. This way they don’t have to lose money on bikes as their kids grow.

With all the riding you do as a family, you probably work up a good appetite! Do you prefer to eat out - or cook meals at home?

ML: Once a week we ride our bikes to a restaurant on the island like Orlando’s, Wasabi or the Islander. And occasionally we’ll have dinner with friends, at our house or theirs. But mostly we’re homebodies and we like to stay home and cook. When I was in the military, I didn't feel as though I had much control of my career. But once I retired, I discovered that I did have control of one very important part of my life: my kitchen. Cooking has become a great release for me.

JL: Michelle is a gourmet cook. The other night we had grilled tuna then tuna roll sandwiches for lunch the next day. This morning she made us delicious pancakes for breakfast! and lamb burgers in the evening. I have it made!

What changes, if any, would you like to see on Daniel Island?

JL: I’m really looking forward to that bike trail that will connect Daniel Island to the rest of the communities up Clements Ferry Road.

ML: I’m excited about the new commercial area that’s going up across from the Publix center. I would, however, like to have a Trader Joe’s or Earth Fare here - we need more selection as far as grocery shopping’s concerned.

Michelle’s cooking sounds almost like a family institution - we’d love an invitation! Can you share with us any other favorite family traditions you have?

ML: We do plan to make a regular summer-time trip to Michigan to visit family just like the one we had. Otherwise, tradition for us is more about routine, which is very important to us, a value that may come from being in the military. But routine is also important for our son. That means regularly scheduled meal-times, playtime, bedtime every day.

JL: And we always make sure to have conversation at dinner time, each of us sharing about our day. Another “tradition” that we’ve had is bedtime storytelling, where I make up all kinds of stories to tell Nickolai. I started telling him stories when he was very young. For instance, a story I made up called “Boy from Far, Far Away” about a boy who was found by a man and woman who, looking for a son, came upon this beautiful “boy from far away” and brought him into their house to care for and shower him with love. It was essentially a story about Nickolai, whom we adopted from Russia when he was eighteen months old. When Nickolai was old enough to talk, he realized “Hey, that boy from far far away is me!”

ML: We also celebrate “Gotcha Day” every December 12th, the anniversary of the day we adopted Nickolai in Russia. We usually celebrate with a Russian dish and a visit from his grandparents. It’s a very special day.

What three words would you use to describe your life on Daniel Island?

JL: Living the dream!

ML: We really appreciate the simple things in life. We have everything we need right here.