Kirkland Crash Victim Remembered as Top Software Engineer, Family Man

A Kirkland software engineer killed Sunday on Rose Hill in an apparent road rage incident he had no part in is being remembered as a well-rounded family man and highly regarded programmer.

Steve Lacey, 43, of Kirkland’s Everest neighborhood, died from the impact after his BMW was hit on NE 85th Street by an out-of-control SUV driven by a Snohomish man who claimed to be chasing another driver who cut him off.

“This is an exceptional guy you could only hope to have as a neighbor and friend. He was brilliant, an incredible software engineer,” said Neal Karlinsky, who is speaking for the family.

“It makes no sense. He was robbed of his life. His wife was robbed of her husband. It changes so many lives.”

Friends gathered Sunday and Monday around Lacey’s wife, Nabila, and their children, Julian, 7, and Jasmine, 5. Lacey and his wife were both from England and have no family in the area, said Karlinsky, a neighbor.

“It’s a huge loss on so many levels,” he said. “We’re neighbors and we became fast friends. Our wives are friends, our kids are friends.”

Lacey, who worked at Google in Kirkland and previously worked for Microsoft, was well regarded as a software engineer and not just locally. He worked for a time at Facebook, and Karlinsky said he was personally offered a job there by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

“He didn’t talk code,” Karlinsky said. “He’d talk about books, movies, pop culture, music, and at the same time was an incredible family guy.”

He could often be seen in the neighborhood riding bikes with his kids, and the family were regular visitors at the Museum of Flight.

Karlinsky said Lacey was on a short errand to when the accident occurred. “The family was wondering why he wasn’t home. Then the Kirkland police showed up.”

A college fund for the children has been established at , and a Facebook memorial page has been created for those who wish to share memories or offer condolences. Donations can be made at any Chase branch to the  “Children’s memorial trust of Steve Lacey.”

The driver of the SUV was arrested and booked into King County jail after being treated at a hospital. Patrick S. Rexroat, 56, is being investigated by the Washington State Patrol on suspicion of vehicular homicide. More details about the crash are in an earlier Kirkland Patch .