9/19/1937 – 11/5/2025
Lawrence
Arlois McLay passed away peacefully on November 5, 2025 in the arms of her beloved daughter, Kristi, at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor. She was 88 years old.
Born September 19, 1937, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Arlois (Sherwood) and Edward Van Dyke, she grew up in Dearborn, Michigan as the eldest of four. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University, where she forged lifelong friendships. While she worked as an HR manager for the latter half of her life, she always felt that her first job, teaching first grade in Metro Detroit, was her true calling.
Arlois gave her love, support, and devotion to many generations of children. Her daughters fondly recall snowy days in wintery Michigan filled with laughter, silly nursery rhymes, and ice skating. She was also a boundless source of love and guidance to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, spoiling them with unwavering devotion. Known for her love of the holidays, each Christmas she transformed her house into a wonderland, surrounding the tree with a mountain of thoughtfully selected gifts.
She wed the love of her life, James Buckley, on October 1, 1988, after her then five year old grandson, Brian, demanded to know when the two of them were getting married. For the next 35 years they showed the world what true love looks like—complete with laughter, mischief, and unbreakable devotion.
She moved to Lawrence in 2001, where she quickly established a wide circle of friends at church and in her neighborhood. Wherever she went, she was deeply loved, surrounded by a close-knit circle of friends that she cherished and held tight. She delighted in pampering her dogs, watching backyard birds, traveling, boating on the Great Lakes, and savoring Mackinac Island cherry fudge by the pound. Witty, humorous, and mischievous, she carried a quiet wisdom that will be profoundly missed.
Survivors include her daughter Kristi Black, stepdaughter Janine (James) Owens, stepson Steven (Nelda) Buckley, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister Darlene Doorlag, brother James (Anne) Van Dyke and her dear nieces and nephews.
Arlois was preceded in death by her husband James Buckley, daughter Kerry McLay, brother Edward VanDyke, and brother-in-law Bob Doorlag.
A memorial service will be 10:00 am Saturday, December 6, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway, Lawrence, Kansas. To leave a message for Arlois’ family, please visit www.Rumsey-Yost.com.
Note: The Lawrence Times is offering Lawrence and Douglas County community members space to publish remembrances of loved ones who lived in this community, free of charge. These pieces are submitted by family and friends of the deceased and not written by our staff. Photos are also provided to the publication, and some may have been altered prior to submission. Read more obituaries here.
We are honored to be able to offer this service free to community members in mourning. We believe the last thing our neighbors need in those difficult moments is another financial matter to worry about. Please support the Times to help us continue providing this service — and news access — for all.
To submit an obituary to The Lawrence Times, please fill out the form at this link. We’re sorry, but we cannot accept obituary submissions via email or other means.
Receive obituaries via email
As of May 2026, we are launching a newsletter that will include obituaries only. Obituaries will no longer appear in our daily emails. You can sign up below to receive any and all of our emails. If you already receive our daily, weekly and/or occasional emails and you want to keep receiving them, please check those boxes as well.
Please make sure you click on the button that says “Yes, subscribe me to this list” in the email you receive or you will not receive future emails. That extra step is to protect you and make sure you’re not getting emails you don’t want.
