Della Lucille (Walz) Lamb passed away peacefully in her sleep at Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at the wonderful age of 90.
She was born February 15, 1927 to Ernest G. and Jennie (King) Walz on the family farm southwest of Grinnell. She attended the country school for 2 years and then attended grade school in Grinnell through the 7th grade. Her family moved to Oakley in 1941, where she attended Oakley Schools and graduated from Oakley High School with the Class of 1945. Della worked at Crownover Insurance for 3 years as a secretary to save up money for school. She graduated from Stewarts Beauty School in Salina and became a licensed “Beautician”. She returned to Oakley to operate her own beauty shop, known as Della’s Beauty Shop, for over 12 years.
On June 25th, 1950 Della married Donald Charles Lamb in the old Methodist Church located on Center Avenue in Oakley. They worked hard as young business owners to get ahead with Della in her beauty shop and Don with Don’s Shoe Store in downtown Oakley. After 10 years, Della sold her beauty shop to become a homemaker and mom to her 2 lively children. Della and Don were parents to a daughter Diane and a son Richard (Dick).
She was a great mom and a wonderful cook, providing her family with great home cooked meals every day. Della enjoyed her children and all of their school and summer activities. She was a Girl Scout leader for 5 years and liked to help each summer with day camp at Ottkens Grove. She liked to sew and made lots of their clothes growing up, and even made Prom dresses and Bridesmaid dresses in later years. Della and Don always grew a huge garden in their backyard that provided lots of fresh food, including plenty more for canning. This created an opportunity for a small business for their kids selling fresh veggies to the neighbors. She also enjoyed going fishing with her family. This started at a young age with cane poles, sisters, older brothers and a hike or horseback ride to the Hackberry Creek near their farm by Grinnell. Della, Don and family went to Lake Scott often to swim, fish, have picnics and pick currents and choke cherries (for making homemade jam). Many years of camping and fishing, boating and skiing at Cedar Bluffs, Wilson and Kirwin Lake are happy family memories. Nightly campfires, fried walleye, macaroni & cheese, fresh tomatoes and s’mores were her favorite summer memories at the lake.
Della worked with the Logan County Junior Miss Program for 27 years as a finance committee leader. She enjoyed living in Oakley for most of her 90 long years since it was friendly small town filled with lots of family & friends. She never knew a stranger, liked to tell jokes and laugh and loved to visit.
Della is survived by a daughter, Diane Brown and husband, Bill and a son, Richard “Dick “Lamb all of Hays; 5 grandchildren: Kirsten Dutton Lamb of Oakley; William Cody Brown of Laramie, WY; Sierra Nicole Brown of Lawrence, Jessica Lynn Lamb and Jordan Taylor Lamb both of Waterbury, VT; and one very special great-grandson Cain Mccrae Saint of Oakley. Also surviving is her younger sister, Beula (Boots) Haxton of Scott City, brother-in-law & sister-in-law, Gene and Eunice Lamb of Strasburg, CO and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband Don (2006); sisters and brother-in–laws: Ida & John Suter, Betty & Duane Gibson, brother–in- law Don Haxton, brothers and sister-in-law’s: Ernie & Icie Walz, Christian Walz, Eddie & Marguerite Walz, Floyd & Leah Walz. Also, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ivan & Dellar Lamb.
Della’s Memorial Service will be Sunday, October 15, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Kennedy Koster Funeral Home, 217 Freeman Ave, Oakley.
Family and friends gathering after the service will be at the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center, 3083 US Hwy 83, Oakley.
Memorials to Della Lamb Memorial Fund may be sent in care of Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home, P.O. Box 221, Oakley, KS 67748.
Online guestbook: www.kennedykosterfh.com