Ronald Phillippe Lambert

Washington, Utah - Ronald Phillippe Lambert, 73, passed away at home on Friday, May 5, 2023, surrounded by loving members of his family.  He was born on February 14, 1950 in Manchester, New Hampshire to Lucien and Yvette (Belair) Lambert.  He married Mary Bader on December 18, 1971 in West Swanzey, New Hampshire. 

Ron was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he attended Sainte Marie School and then graduated from West High School in 1968.  Born to a French Canadian family, his first language was Canadian French.  He gradually learned English in his parochial elementary school.  He was a proud big brother to his siblings, Rick and Colette.  

Following high school, Ron attended Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire, where he met Mary Bader.  Ron joined the army and was assigned to Heidelberg, Germany, where he and Mary moved following their marriage in 1971.  

While stationed in Germany, Ron and Mary welcomed their first child, Melodie, to the world.  Through the years, the military took the ever-growing Lambert family all over the United States and back to Germany two more times, always spending summers in New Hampshire with family.  Ron was stationed at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where he learned to speak Arabic and Russian.  During this time, Tabitha was born.  While stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado, Lydia joined our family.  In Bremerhaven, Germany, Nicholas arrived.  During one of our periodic times of residence in New Hampshire, Holly-Marie was born in Keene.  During Ron’s five-year assignment at the Pentagon, while living at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, both Spencer and Hillary-Anne joined the family.  Finally, after settling in Hampton, New Hampshire, Abraham completed our family. 

Ron’s priority in life was his family.  He loved taking our packed minivan on weekly Sunday drives after church all over the winding, wooded roads of New England.  He made every holiday a magical event, dressing up for every Halloween, and decorating every inch of the house for every occasion.  He loved to entertain his children with his imaginative stories, and we always begged to hear them. 

Ron had many interests.  He loved baseball, especially the Boston Red Sox.  He would listen to the games on the radio if he couldn’t access them on television, and kept meticulous notes on statistics for the team and each player.  He was never happier than when the Red Sox were having a good season.  He also enjoyed watching the Boston Bruins play.  In fact, his only complaint about staying in the hospital and rehabilitation center following his leg amputation was that he couldn’t watch the ESPN station.

He was a collector, and had extensive collections of comic books, baseball cards, coins, movies, owl figurines, and books.  He was an avid reader.  He said he wanted to read every book ever written so he wouldn’t be embarrassed meeting an author in Heaven one day whose books he hadn’t read.  He especially loved fantasy and mysteries, and passed those interests on to his children.

Like his father before him, Ron was a life-long lover of the sun.  He spent almost every summer of his life at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, and eventually settled there before moving to sunny St. George, Utah.  

Ron leaves his family and loved-ones with an amazing legacy.  He will be remembered for his goofy, fun sense of humor.  He was often heard saying, “I’ve never been wrong . . . except for that one time when I thought I was wrong, but I really wasn’t.”  He pretended (we hope) that he didn’t believe in hippos.  They were just too outlandish to possibly be real.  When we showed him the hippos at the zoo, he insisted that they were animatronics.

In 1983, Ron and Mary lost their four-year-old daughter, Lydia.  This loss remained a fresh heartache over the past 40 years, and he thought of her and missed her every day.  The loss of Lydia marked a stark change in his life that his older children still grieve.  The always-happy, goofy, fun dad didn’t come out to play as often following her passing.  His grief turned him to alcohol, which became a destructive addiction for many years following. Despite these internal battles, Ron’s faith in God and our Savior, Jesus Christ were unwavering.  He knew that he would hold his little girl again one day because our Savior overcame the bands of death.  His faith lives on in each of his children.

Despite Ron’s struggles, he was a perpetual optimist.  He could find the silver lining in the most treacherous storm clouds.  Life was not easy for our family.  Ron’s addiction, health issues, mental health challenges, children’s illnesses, and financial burdens would have all been too much for most people, but he showed his family that with a positive outlook and unwavering faith in God, we could overcome any challenge.  Following his career in the Army, jobs and houses were uncertainties that weighed on our parents heavily.  For several years, our family moved from rentals to hotel rooms to campgrounds, but Ron treated these uncertain times as an adventure, and could always make the scariest predicament seem like an enchanting escapade. 

Perhaps the most meaningful legacy Ron leaves us is his example of the power of redemption and perseverance.  He was always the best of men, but his struggles were overpowering.  He gave up smoking and drinking so many times we lost count.  The amazing thing is, though, that he never gave up the fight, and he eventually succeeded.  During the last 25 years since he had his last drink and cigarette, he regularly told us that his desire for alcohol and tobacco had been completely taken from him – he was liberated from any temptation whatsoever. We are grateful for Jesus Christ, whose redeeming power released our father from the bonds of addiction.  As his children, we also revere our mother, who stood by him through the good times and the bad, never wavering in her love or support for him.  Since his passing, she comforted us with these words: “Your father is now the man I always knew he was.” 

Ron is survived by his loving wife, Mary, of Washington, Utah; his children, Melodie (David), Tabitha (Matt), Nicholas (Nathaly), Holly-Marie, Spencer (Stephanie), Hillary-Anne, and Abraham; his 19 grandchildren, Braden, Lydia, Liam, Grayson, Reese, Bryant, Sarah Grace, Cortnie, Samantha, Josh, Alexander, Oliver, Everett, Hiroki, Lilly, Bella, Tristan, Collin, and Piper; his brother Rick Lambert (Carolyn), and many cousins, nieces, friends, and coworkers.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Lucien and Yvette Lambert, his sister, Colette Mara, and his beloved daughter, Lydia Joy.  We are comforted, imagining the happy reunion with those he loved so much in life, especially our little sister, whose loss was a constant heartache for him.  

A viewing will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church building located at 860 West Fairway Dr. in Washington, Utah.  Funeral services will follow, beginning at 1:00 in the chapel of the church building.  Interment will take place in the Washington City Cemetery, immediately following the funeral service.  

Arrangements are made under the direction of Hughes Mortuary, 1037 East 700 South St. George, Utah, (435) 674-5000.  

For those unable to attend the services a livestream will be provided at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86783551850?pwd=TzB6OE43d1I5b1BkMG03QWc3b3VHdz09 

Click this link to view additional details about Ronald's Services: https://my.gather.app/remember/ronald-lambert-2023