Peter Hendrick Lamb passed peacefully on May 15, 2020. He died of bacterial pneumonia at Boulder Community Hospital, holding the hands of his sister and his daughter and listening to the music of his brothers.
Pete was born in New York City on May 29, 1945. Pete was the son of Walter Cornelius Lamb and Jane Hoyt Lamb and the second of their six children.
To know Pete was to know laughter. He never met someone that was not his friend. Pete had a special gift for not just accepting, but truly celebrating people for who they are and supporting them in being their authentic self. He practiced the belief that life is meant to be fully lived and had many interests and hobbies. The hobby that was most dear to him was photography; Pete loved to capture the world through a camera lens, whether that be at gatherings of family and friends, Broncos or Rockies games, or in taking pictures of nature, especially “his beautiful birds.” He delighted in creating and sending signed bird calendars as Christmas presents every year.
Pete was an incredible fan of his brothers’ music and could be counted on to dance – whether from his chair or out on the floor— at every gig he attended. A lifelong lover of tennis, camping, fishing, hiking, biking, golf, and travel, Pete hated wasting a beautiful day indoors. Traveling highlights of his later years included a trip to Akumal, Mexico with his daughter, annual scuba diving trips with friends, a bike trip across France with his sister --including seeing his brother play a gig in France-- and a fifty-eight-day odyssey with his dear friend across the Western US, Canada, and up into Alaska.
Pete graduated from the University of Rochester, where he studied management science but majored in having a great time. Professionally, Pete wore many hats and could entertain a crowd for hours about the escapades of his working life. His first job was with the Department of Housing and Urban Development but, caught up in the hippie days, he left that position to become a taxi driver in New York City in 1969. A couple of years later, on a motorcycle trip across Canada and the United States, Pete experienced a sight that many Coloradans treasure – the Rocky Mountains rise out of the plains – and knew he would make his life in Boulder, Colorado. Shortly after that, he learned to tool leather and became an owner of the American Horse Leather Co-Op, (the American Horse Trading Company), a leather store in Boulder. Pete later joined Storage Technology Corporation (StorageTek) in Louisville as a systems programmer. Pete had a wonderful mind for solving tough problems and, in his programming days, would often wake up in the middle of the night, cry “Ah-Ha!” and rush to write down his solution. Later in his career, he served as a technical manager, where both his interpersonal and technical skills had a chance to shine until he retired in 2006.
While at StorageTek, Pete met the love of his life and married Dorothy Jean Cohran, and they had one daughter Jennifer Nicole Lamb. When Jeni was three, Dorothy moved Pete out to 35 acres in the Northeast corner of Boulder County, where Dorothy could explore her passion for growing things, and Jeni could own a horse. Pete found himself planting 500 trees in a single summer, building a run-in shelter and hay barn for Jeni’s horses, hauling a truck and trailer, leasing fields for barley production, and driving a tractor. And because he loved his girls, he loved every minute of it. When Dorothy passed in 2003, he remained Jeni’s biggest supporter, spending just about every weekend at 4-H events or at horse shows in pursuit of what he called “the perfect horse jumping picture.” While Jeni attended college at Virginia Tech and law school at Emory University School of Law, the two remained close, talking nearly every day and Pete visiting multiple times to celebrate her successes. He was thrilled when Jeni moved back to Colorado in December 2015. All those who were in attendance will never forget his epic father of the bride speech at her wedding to Chris Rogers in 2016. In the words of his friends, you just could not know Pete without hearing about “his amazing daughter,” Jeni Lamb.
Pete moved to Anthem Ranch in 2007 and loved his life as part of the community. As a long-time resident, he made many friends, enjoyed going to the recreation center to work out, attended many Active Minds sessions, joined the tennis and photography clubs, and last year even made his Anthem acting debut in “Anchors, Aweigh!” Amidst all this, Pete still managed to wake up early and “take his camera for a walk” to get the best light for pictures of birds on the Anthem grounds.
Pete is survived by his daughter Jeni Lamb Rogers and son-in-law Chris Rogers, sisters Elizabeth Lyons and KD Nunes, brothers James Lamb, John Lamb, Richard Lamb, Charles Lamb, and many friends. Pete was dearly loved and will be sorely missed by all who knew him. The songs that brought him comfort in his final moments were “Dorothy’s Song,” written by Chuck Lamb in memory of Pete’s wife Dorothy Lamb, “The Moon Was Right” by Rich Lamb and performed by Hazel Miller and the Collective, and “Mystro” by Chuck Lamb. His family hopes they may bring you comfort as well.
In a closed service, Pete will be buried privately next to Dorothy at Mountain View Cemetery on May 28, 2020. His family plans to host a celebration of life at a later date when “A Party Worthy of Pete” –already nicknamed “PWoP”— can be enjoyed safely by all. Stay in touch with Jeni for details.
Pete gave as he lived, freely and diversely. In lieu of flowers, he would be honored by your donation to any one of his favorite charities, including The National Park Foundation, The Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, or Colorado Public Radio.
Found on Pete’s Desk on May 16:
Help me to be less fearful of the measure of time, and more fully alive in the time that simply is. Help me to live time, not just to simply use it, to breathe it in, and return it in acts of love and presence.
Avis Crowe
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