Virginia Lambright

Virginia Ann “Ginny” Lambright, 80, of Oakland, California and formerly of Goshen and Syracuse, died on June 14, 2016 following a battle with vascular dementia.

Ginny was born December 15, 1935, in Goshen to Schuyler and Mary (Fisher) Pletcher.

After graduating from Topeka High School as valedictorian in 1954, she attended Goshen College where she was a member and officer of the A Cappella Chorus, the Education Club, and Home Economics Club.   She taught Home Economics at Goshen High School from 1958 to 1963 and served as a substitute teacher in the Goshen Community School System for many years.

On June 25, 1960, she married James Lambright at Eighth Street Mennonite Church, Goshen. They resided in Goshen for over 30 years, before moving to a lakefront home in Syracuse in 1992 where she continued to reside after Jim’s death in 2012.   She later made her home in Surprise, Arizona her primary residence.  In 2015, when she could no longer live independently, she moved into a memory care apartment in Oakland, CA close to where her children, Stephen Lambright and Gina Lambright reside.

Ginny was a member of the Eighth Street Mennonite Church in Goshen and a regular member of the choir for many years.  When Ginny and Jim moved to Syracuse, they became members of the St. Andrews United Methodist Church where Ginny continued to sing in the choir.

She was an active partner in the family business, Lamson, Inc, managing the design, development, and sale of investment properties.  Always an active member of her community, Ginny was probably most proud of her work on the Syracuse Park Board, where she helped to lead the effort to build the Syracuse Community Center in 2002.

Her passions were many, but she found her greatest joy in playing her favorite songs on her piano, cooking fabulous meals for her friends and family, running, and water skiing around Syracuse Lake which she continued to do until the age of 77.   She also loved playing with her grandchildren, travelling around the world and off-roading through the desert landscapes of Arizona with her Jim.

Virginia is survived by her son, Stephen (Vanessa) Lambright of San Francisco; and daughter, Gina (John Cheney) Lambright, of Piedmont, CA., grandchildren; Edan Lambright, Lucas and Bryson Cheney, two sisters; Donna (John) Messer and Karen Honderich; sisters-in-law Janet (Dale) Kanagy, Eloise Sommers, and Wanda (Martin) Brotherton, brothers in-law; Richard (Ruthie) Lambright, Robert (Shirley) Lambright, and Vernon (Beth) Lambright, and 22 nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 52 years, James Lambright, her parents, and brothers-in-law, Myron Sommers, David Honderich, and Richard Martin.

A celebration of life is scheduled for July 2.  Friends may call from 12 p.m. until the 1:30 p.m. funeral service at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Violett Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, to support dementia research, memorials may be given to the Brain Support Network , PO Box 7264, Menlo Park, CA 94026 or at www.brainsupportnetwork.org .