David "Pete" Lambert Jr.

Pete is most remembered for his tremendous love for his family. He was a true gentleman who was so proud of the years he spent growing up in the small Appalachian community of Dry Fork, VA, and the four years he served in the military. Pete is a Korean War veteran who served proudly as an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force beginning in 1952, and earned the rank of staff sergeant before being honorably discharged in 1956. He received both the national defense service medal and the good conduct medal during his service. While in the Air Force, Pete served as the crew chief to oversee the mission readiness of his squadron's F-86 Sabre jets. He shared many stories during his lifetime about his military service, a career that took him to various duty stations around the U.S. and overseas. One of his favorite duty stations was the Strategic Air Command base at RAF Manston in Kent, England, and he often spoke about the beautiful views from the base of the White Cliffs of Dover.

During a visit home while on leave, Pete met his lifelong love, Hazel, at Tony’s Place, a local teen hangout spot, in Squire, WV. Hazel said many years later that when she first met Pete, she thought he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen, and that he was also quite shy. They began dating, and became married after Pete returned to civilian life in Virginia. They wed in a simple ceremony in Tazewell, VA on August 3, 1957, then moved to Florida with everything they owned packed into a 1949 Chevy sedan and settled in Jacksonville where their two children, David and Cheryl, were born and raised. Pete was a man who loved working with his hands, and he could fix just about anything. He worked for many years at Ivy Steel & Wire Corporation in Jacksonville where he was a welder, fabricator, machinist, and occasional electrician. He retired from Ivy Steel & Wire in 1999, but not before forming what would become a lifelong friendship with his boss and mentor, Sam Pittman. Pete and Sam attended annual NASCAR race events together in Daytona, and after their retirements, still stayed in touch and enjoyed talking about old times at Ivy. Pete and Hazel lived in the same house for 55 years, and enjoyed 62 years of marriage. They hosted many family gatherings at their home over the years, and many memories were made there where their children and grandchildren built forts, swung on tire swings, joined in on backyard BBQs, helped with various projects in “Papaw’s workshop,” and helped tend to the garden Pete and Hazel maintained for many years.

Pete loved to spend time working on various home improvement projects and creative gifts for family and friends, and could often be found in his workshop making things like intricately carved wood pendants for the ladies in his family, wood stools for his grandchildren, a set of barbells and dumbbells for his son David, or ornamental iron projects he both designed and fabricated for family members and friends. He was also quite humorously known to collect many ball caps during his lifetime, with a collection of more than 100 caps representing his favorite sports teams, his love of his military service, etc., as well as those given to him as gifts by his family. Pete was a great storyteller who passed down stories rich in history of what life was like growing up and working on the family farm in post-depression Appalachia. He spoke of doing the work of a man at ten years old, driving horse drawn plows and milking cows before and after school.

Pete is a man who has left indelible marks on all who knew him and love him, and he taught so many lessons in the virtues of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and gratitude - all with a very healthy dose of humor mixed in. He leaves a legacy of loving kindness and gentleness, and his legacy will live on through his beloved family and friends.

Pete is survived by his wife, Hazel Dixon Lambert, son David Lambert (Twila), Cheryl Marston (Brian), granddaughters Jana Lambert, Lindsay Lambert, and Kate Muscato (Arky), great granddaughter Elizabeth Muscato, sisters Ruth Hutchinson (Danny), Nancy Wilson (Dee), Barbara Williams (Jim) and many other extended family members. He is predeceased by his father, David G. Lambert, Sr., mother Ella Lambert, brothers George Lambert and Ty Lambert, and grandson Ryan Duncan.

Pete’s life will be celebrated on Saturday, August 24, 2019 during a private gathering of family and friends.

Services Handled by Hardage-Giddens Riverside Memorial Park, 7242 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205, 904-781-9262),