Robert "Bob" Owen Lamb Sr.

Robert Owen Lamb Sr., or Bob, passed away early on March 7th.

Born on August 30, 1940, in Aud, Missouri, Bob was the youngest of twelve children. He grew up on the family dairy farm in Osage County, Missouri.

After high school, Bob moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he worked as an auto assembler at the General Motors LEEDs Plant until he retired. In 1970 he married to the love of his life Diane.

February 2021, Bob moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to be close to his only son, Rob. He lived next door and enjoyed his time in the Land of Enchantment with his beloved dog, Alice.

Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Diane Lamb. He’s survived by his son, Robert Owen Lamb, Jr., and his wife, Melissa Montoya, in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Bob, the youngest of twelve siblings, is survived by three sisters: Sister Mary Evelyn Lamb of Springfield, Illinois, Esther Brant of Kansas City, and Sister Jasmine Lamb of Springfield, Illinois and brother Charlie Lamb of Kansas City. He was also preceded in death by his siblings: Walter “Bill” Lamb, Dale Lamb, Melvin Lamb, Paul Lamb, Earline Lamb, Sister Jane Marie Lamb, and James Lamb.

Bob was a true embodiment of love and compassion. He exuded this by the attention he gave his family. He spent over 45 years lovingly caring for his wife, Diane, after she was paralyzed in an accident and he was always present and there for his only son Rob.

Bob showed everyone a strong work ethic. Monday through Friday you get up and go to work. He also had a passion for adventure. While he didn’t often journey far outside of the United States, it was rare that a vacation day from work didn’t mean hitting the open road. Graciously making sure his family was with him even though it involved the struggles of traveling with a disabled wife when ADA was in nonexistent or in its infancy. The Lambs had many adventures on the open road via car and also by motorcycle. Bob was adamant about stepping foot in all fifty states. Sometimes that involved an hour drive to bag a nearby boarder crossing so he could say he’d been there. Alaska was the only one that eluded him.

Bob never knew a stranger. No matter the situation, if he overheard a discussion on a topic that piqued his interest he’d insert himself into the conversation. While this was usually to his family’s horror, surprisingly people always welcomed him in and he gained a new friend.

Bob was one of the most passionate people you would ever meet. You could see the love he had for music when he would incorrectly belt out lyrics as though he was performing them at Carnage Hall. To watch a sporting event with him was always an experience. “LAUNCH IT” was likely the most uttered phrase yelled towards the TV during a football game. Even as a coach of an elementary school basketball team he would have made YouTube fame with his technical foul ejections over what he believed to be a bad call.

Thank you for showing how to embrace the whole life experience.

Let us all go forth and be a Bob. Laugh loudly, embrace your fellow human, and love passionately.