K. Brooke Lamb's Obituary
Kathleen Brooke Lamb of Lakewood, Washington passed away at age 69 years on October 20, 2019 due to complications of kidney failure and cardiovascular disease. She was born in Japan, just as the Korean War was breaking out, on July 11, 1950. Shortly after she was born, Brooke, her mother, and her older sister flew home to California, while her father, USAF Col. Brooks Lawhon, remained in Japan to fight the war. Brooke did not meet her father until she was two years old. As a military child she lived in many wonderful places throughout the United States. As a young child in Washington DC, she visited many of our national monuments and museums. She also took up tap dancing, which she absolutely loved, and remained a good dancer as an adult. In Portsmouth, New Hampshire she learned to ice skate, and also, after having spent many happy summer hours picnicking at pristine New England beaches, developed a lifelong love for surf and sand.
When her father retired from the military, the family settled in Menlo Park, California, part of the San Francisco Bay area. Brooke attended Menlo-Atherton High School where she excelled in her studies and also made some life-long friends, including Carol Hillborn and her best girlfriend, Gloria Eddy. As a teenager, though basically a serious person, she showed a very fun-loving side. She could do hilarious imitations of the Three Stooges, and was always among the first to have the new Beatles’ and Rolling Stones’ albums. After high school Brooke attended the University of California at Berkeley where she studied humanities and developed a wide circle of friends.
Among her friends was John Lamb with whom she fell in love. Brooke and John married in 1972, and Brooke left college after the end of her junior year to support John while he obtained his MBA at Stanford Graduate Business School. Thereafter, the young couple was off to New York City for a number of years. They lived and worked in Manhattan, he a VP at International Paper Corporation and she in the advertising field. Although Brooke, in particular, enjoyed the exciting fast-paced New York lifestyle, they eventually realized that they both missed the West Coast and being near their families. They moved back to the Bay Area and bought a lovely little house in the Piedmont Hills that Brooke enjoyed turning into a comfortable home. John became a VP at Wells Fargo Bank and Brooke continued to work at high level administrative positions, mostly in advertising. She loved being around intelligent, creative, funny, interesting people.
Sadly, Brooke and John eventually grew apart and divorced. Brooke returned to New York City where she worked in advertising and made new friends, including her dear friend Pat Hoffman of Phoenix, Arizona. But, as the old saying goes, ”You can never go back.” Eventually New York no longer seemed a good fit for her, so Brooke moved to Seattle where she continued with her interest in the advertising field and, also, picked up some courses at the University of Washington. By the late nineties, John, who had been the love of her life, had passed away leaving a huge hole in Brooke’s heart. As well, by the late nineties Brooke had moved home to Lakewood to help care for her loving Mother who by now was suffering from the infirmities of old age. Brooke’s presence and loving care meant everything to Mother, not just in terms of physical care, but also in in terms of love, companionship, and relief of Mother’s loneliness.
Brooke had developed chronic depression and by 2014 was starting to show signs of physical decline as well. In early 2019 she was hospitalized with severe flu and pneumonia and her failing kidneys finally gave out, thereafter requiring renal dialysis three times a week. We will always remember Brooke’s braveness as she faced her final long illness. She endured eight months of serious health issues and calamities, with all of the procedures, tests, visits to doctors' offices, clinics, and outpatient surgery centers that such an illness necessitates. We are grateful to have had her at home much of that time and to have had the chance to provide her with our love and support.
We will always remember Brooke of the soft brown eyes and brown hair. She took great delight in reading biographies, in following politics and current events, and in her beloved cats. She inherited the “cooking gene” from Mother and enjoyed preparing wonderful meals. She was kind, generous, very loving, warm, funny, quick-witted---a truly good soul. Her passions also included her need to help others, sometimes to the point of ignoring her own needs.
She is survived by her younger sister Laurie and her older sister Margot (Norm), all of Lakewood, as well as her cousin Haley Bruemmer of Tacoma, cousin Kenneth Bruemmer of Lakewood, and her cousins Martin Lide of Houston, Brooks Lide of Birmingham, and Gary Lide of Nashville. She was preceded in death by her parents Margret and Brooks Lawhon, cousin Carter Bruemmer, aunt Marie and uncle Kenneth Bruemmer, grandparents Helen and Andrew Ebson; by her aunt Neoma and uncle Martin Lide and aunt Norma Randalls; and by her ex-husband John Lamb, parents-in-law Val and Ed Lamb, and countless friends in Manhattan and San Francisco including Craig Carlson.
Dearest Brooke,
We will always be grateful for having had such a wonderful sister as you in our lives. We will always love you, and will always cherish wonderful memories of the times spent with you. You have been a light in our lives. You will be tremendously missed.
All our love,
Laurie and Margot
The family wishes to offer a special thank you to Brooke’s nephrologist, Dr. Youngho Kim for his expertise, for his kind and caring concern, and for often lifting Brooke’s spirits with his visits to see her at dialysis. We also wish to thank Dr. Sarah Koch, Brooke’s vascular surgeon, for her surgical skill and for her kind, patient, and informative manner which helped to lessen Brooke’s fears. Also, thank you to the staff and to the nurses and doctors at Tacoma General Hospital’s Respiratory/Neurological ICU and Emergency Department. A special thanks also goes to the TG Progressive Care Unit and to nurse Colleen. We also wish to thank all our friends for their prayers and support. We also send a special thank you to Pastor Ralf Kalms of Christ Lutheran Church for his caring visits to Brooke in the hospital and at the nursing home in order to bring emotional and spiritual support to Brooke and her family. Thank you, as well, to Carrie and James, hospital chaplains at Tacoma General.
Should you wish to donate to a charity in Brooke’s memory, please do so to the animal charity of your choice. Thank you.
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