Beatrice B. - Age 91 - Los Alamos - Lamb

Beatrice (Bea) Bridget Brennan Lamb, loving mother, grandmother and friend, died at Sombrillo Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Los Alamos, New Mexico, surrounded by loving family and dedicated staff on April 2, 2011. \r\n Bea was born to John and Sarah Brennan on July 14, 1919 in Bayonne, N.J. A very nurturing person, Bea always wanted to be a nurse, and entered nurse’s training in 1936. She received her R.N. from Bayonne Hospital and Dispensary in 1939 and did public health and industrial nursing in New Jersey. Because she wanted to help the war effort, Bea entered the Navy in 1943. She was commissioned as a Lieutenant and stationed across the country in San Diego, C.A., where she trained medical corpsmen. In 1945 Bea met and married Vincent G. Lamb, a high school teacher. After WW II, Bea and Vince lived in North Dakota and Minnesota for a few years, before settling in the Bay Area of northern California to raise their family.\r\n Bea and Vince had six children and were very active in their church community. Once the children were older, Bea returned to nursing at a local hospital. Nursing was a mission for her, but she also believed in the rights of workers. She helped organize and lead the first nurses’ strike for better pay and pensions at the hospital. After retiring from nursing, Bea began a second career as a real estate agent, which she thoroughly enjoyed.\r\n In 1983 Bea moved to Los Alamos to be with her daughter and son-in-law, Ellen and John Middleditch and their children. She was an active volunteer with the uptown and White Rock Senior Centers for over 20 years and made many new friends there and at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. Over the years Bea took several trips, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Bali, Hawaii, the British Isles and a special cruise to Alaska with her daughter, Maura. Her favorite trips were those to northern and southern California to visit her children and grandchildren.\r\n Bea inspired her family and friends with her generous spirit, indomitable strength and unwavering love. With quiet dignity she stood up for what she believed in. She was an advocate for Alcoholics Anonymous and the power of the Twelve Steps; she worked to counteract the stigma of mental illness; and she firmly supported AIDS awareness and gay rights, even speaking before the New Mexico State Legislature in support of gay rights in 1992. Bea had great depth of character, and she also had twinkling, blue, Irish eyes and loved to laugh. She saw the best in people and they responded in kind.\r\n Bea’s health began to decline 3 years ago, and she spent her last 10 months of life at Sombrillo. She received excellent care and wonderful emotional support from the staffs of Sombrillo and the Los Alamos Visiting Nurses‘ Hospice program.\r\n Bea was preceded in death by her parents; sister Claire Bonner; and her sons, Vincent and Dennis Lamb. She is survived by her daughter Maura Schulz and husband Paul; son Chris Lamb, wife Colleen, and grandchildren Shawna and Derrick; son Daniel Lamb, wife Mary, and grandchildren Danny Jr., Tommy and Catie; daughter Ellen Middleditch, husband John, and grandchildren Eric, Adam and Dennis; and her cousin and life-long friend, Cathy McNaught.\r\n On April 7th, after a deeply moving military service with full honors, Bea was laid to rest at Santa Fe National Cemetery. DeVargas Funeral Home in Espanola made her arrangements. \r\n The family suggests that donations be made to Los Alamos Visiting Nurses or Sombrillo Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. \r\n

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