Zane Kenneth Lambert

Zane Kenneth Lambert passed on February 2, 2015. Zane was born in Midland, Texas on March 28th 1927. His parents were Alford Paul “Shorty” Lambert and Joyce Faye Lambert. Although he was born in Midland, he was raised in Muleshoe 177 miles to the north. Zane attended Muleshoe high school where he excelled at playing football. He graduated in 1944 and joined the U.S. Navy on September 1st of that year.

After boot camp, Zane was assigned to the support aircraft carrier Hollandia. He served as a Storekeeper first class. The Hollandia was built at Kaiser Shipyard in Vancouver Washington. It was commissioned June 1st 1944 and stationed in San Diego, California. The Hollandia was involved in the Pacific island campaigns on Manus, Ulithi (Okinawa) and Guam. It later supplied planes and personnel to the 3rd fleet as U. S. warplanes began a bombing campaign in Japan.

After World War II, the Hollandia was temporarily stationed at the Port of Olympia. There he met, fell in love with and married Solveig Mabel Julnes in 1946. Zane also had fallen in love with the Puget Sound and didn’t want to return to the dirt brown Texas panhandle life. The couple made their first home in the capital neighborhood near Lincoln school. They then bought a large two story house near Tenth and Franklin streets in downtown Olympia where they lived for 48 years.

Zane worked as a plumber for 35 years. He first worked for a small plumbing company in Shelton, followed by Bee Plumbing and Heating in west Olympia and finally he worked for Peter Kiewit & Sons at the Satsop Nuclear Power Plant.

Zane was very community minded. He was the president of the Thurston County Labor Council for 22 years. He served on Governor Evan’s Four Year Planning Committee that started The Evergreen State College and he was a life-long member of the First Baptist Church of Olympia.

Zane was preceded in death by his wife Solveig, his father Alford Paul, his mother Joyce Faye, his sisters Alvie Pauline Rhoads, Helen Goodnough and his brother James Leslie Lambert.

Zane and Solveig had three children: sons Paul, Dave and daughter Christine (McNamara). They have a large extended family with spouses Tanna, Maggie, and Brian respectively. In addition, there are 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

For more information contact Mills & Mills Funeral Home & Memorial Park 5725 Littlerock Rd SW Tumwater, WA 98512, (360) 357-7743.