Lambert

ELKIN — Fred Lester Lambert Jr., son of Ruby Blackburn Lambert and the late Fred Lester Lambert Sr., died peacefully in his sleep at Heritage Care Assisted Living in Elkin on Sunday morning, March 1, 2009. Fred was born Jan. 6, 1945, during World War II while his father was fighting in Europe in the Battle of the Bulge. His father did not see him until he was 7 months old after the war was over. Fred attended the Mount Airy Public Schools and upon graduation was a recipient of many scholarships. He was runner-up for the Morehead Scholarship and also received a Presidential Scholarship from the University of North Carolina where he elected to attend. He earned a degree in English and also a Master in Library Science. He had two daughters whom he adored, Amanda Meriwether Miller of McDonough, Ga., and Cornelia Campbell Lambert, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma. Other survivors are his mother; a sister and brother, Arlette Porter and Jim Lambert of Mount Airy; nieces, Dr. Andrea Porter Kittrell and her husband, Dr. Bill Kittrell, and their children, Allie, Anna Claire, Elizabeth and Will, of Lynchburg, Va., and Emily Lambert Dunlevy and her husband, Shane Dunlevy, of Silk Hope; and nephews, Luke Lambert and his wife, Jamie, of Lexington, and Dee Porter and his wife, Meghann, of Apex. After graduation from Carolina, Fred did special assignments for the Carolina University System, first in Chapel Hill, then at Appalachian State and later at UNC-Wilmington. He later became librarian at Augusta State University where he worked for many years. While there, he earned his Master in Business Administration and when he returned to Mount Airy in 1984, he worked as computer analyst at Cross Creek Apparel and made his home with his widowed mother. When he first went to Chapel Hill, Fred became an Episcopalian and was a member of the Chapel of the Cross. In Augusta, he was a member of St. Paul’s, and when he returned to Mount Airy, he became a member of Trinity Episcopal Church where he served on the Vestry, was chalice bearer and chairman of the Stewardship Committee as well as serving in many other offices. He attended the church he loved for as long as he was able. Fred has bequeathed his body to Wake Forest School of Medicine in the hope that something can be learned that will be helpful in treating people who develop the rare brain tumor from which he had suffered since a senior in high school. When tests are complete, he has requested that his cremated remains be scattered at the Lookout Tower on the Parkway in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. conducted by Father Ray Hanna. After the service, the family will receive friends in the fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Trinity Episcopal Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 1043, Mount Airy, NC 27030. After the services, Ruby B. Lambert will welcome anyone who wishes to visit at her home.