Jerrold Dwight Lambert

Jerrold Lambert (Jerry) was born on October 4th, 1938 in Polson, Montana. He grew up, moving back and forth as opportunities arose between Montana and Washington, eventually settling in Puyallup where he graduated from Puyallup High School in 1957. He is the eldest of 6 children, with two brothers, Jay and Fred, and 3 sisters, Karen, Peggy and Colleen. If you were ever lucky enough to get in the car with him while he was running errands, you might just get a tour all over God’s creation while he pointed out all the places he had lived, gone to school or worked.

One of his favorite stories to tell was when his grandfather was living with them and unwittingly blew up the house. The story was even in the local paper!

He entered the Army in 1961 and served three years, stationed in Korea and Washington DC. While in DC, the Army gave him an IQ test. His IQ was so high, he got to wear civilians and had access to almost anywhere in DC. This could explain why he knew people everywhere he ever went for the rest of his life. Upon leaving the Army, he married the love of his life, Doris, in November 1964. They were married for 58 years! Together, they raised 3 children, David, Nancy and Andrew. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound, he worked in banking for many years, was a substitute teacher then ultimately entered full time service with the Washington State Army National Guard. After retirement, he worked at several libraries and was able to read as many books as he wanted!

Dad always had a dog, though never really seemed to like to have them around particularly as he got older. He liked his dogs (Dynamite, Gypsy, Rags and Finnegan) like he liked his children, visible and quiet.
Jerry was always dignified and proper. His hair was combed, he was dressed and shaven every morning. Hair was cut and combed a certain way-all up until the last minute. He used to complain about air travel- “Back in my day, people dressed up to fly-not the sweatpants and shorts you see today.”

One of Jerry’s favorite hobbies was baking. He earned quite a reputation among family and friends for his baked goods. His English Tea Ring was a fan favorite and always expected at family gatherings. When he and mom would visit their friends, they weren’t allowed in the door without a loaf of fresh baked bread. But his baking wasn’t always without incident. One year, when making a pecan pie, he didn’t have any pecans so he used almonds. Another time, at the beach, he was making cinnamon rolls, but got distracted by our game of trivial pursuit, (which he wasn’t allowed to play-but still shouted answers) and used 6 cups of sugar rather than flour. He baked it anyway and, as one can imagine, it was as flat as a pancake and heavy as a rock. He took it to the beach and fed it to the seagulls landing the flock with indigestion.

During his trips to the beach at Grayland, he always enjoyed stopping to watch the Lady Washington Tall Ship being built. He has several pieces of artwork dedicated to the subject.

He welcomed new members to his immediate family, with the marriages of David & Pam, Nancy & Brian and Andrew & Sarah. After retirement, he enjoyed being with his family, visiting new places and spending time with his grandchild, Emily.

He passed away peacefully, at home, the way he wanted on January 13, 2023. It was sudden, but not unexpected and way too soon! He will be always loved and greatly missed.