By Dan Parker
dan@portasouthjetty.com
A memorial service celebrating Joe Lamb’s life will be held at noon Monday, Dec. 21, at Fred Rhodes Memorial Pavilion at Roberts Point Park.
Lamb, 47, was the building official for the city of Port Aransas. He collapsed on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at a Houston hotel where he was attending a conference, said Dave Parsons, acting city manager of Port Aransas. No confirmed cause of death was known, but Parsons said Lamb had been taking medication for heart problems.
The Rev. William Campbell will officiate at the service. Members of the children’s soccer teams that Lamb coached are invited to wear their soccer uniforms and play some friendly games of soccer at the park after the service.
Lamb’s friends also plan to plant a tree at the park in Lamb’s honor as part of the service, said Nick Lorette, who is helping organize the event.
City hall always is closed from noon to 1 p.m., but it might stay closed another 30 minutes or maybe a bit longer than that during the service, Parsons said.
A memorial service also is planned for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, at First Christian Church on Lee Street in Odessa, where Lamb grew up. Lamb will be cremated, according to his wife, Michelle Lamb.
Mayor Claude Brown said he’ll miss Lamb.
“I want to offer condolences to his family,” Brown said. “I think Joe was one hell of a guy.”
Lamb was hired by the city as a building inspector in July 2002, and he was named building inspector after he gained more credentials, said Pat Garrett, executive assistant to the city manager.
“He was a super guy,” said Councilman Keith Donley. “He was a great dad, and he treated everybody equally and fairly. And, in his job, you couldn’t ask for more.”
City Hall has been getting a lot of calls from people asking about Lamb, according to Sharon Cullinan, who answers the phones.
Lamb had two daughters: Shayna Davis of Corpus Christi and Rachel Lamb of New Mexico.
“Joe’s passing is a tremendous loss for the city, but that pales in comparison to the loss for his family, friends and our Port A community,” said Mayor Pro Tem Keith McMullin.
Lamb was active as a coach in the Port Aransas Youth Soccer League. This year, he coached the Sea Demons, along with the late Sarah Maxham. Maxham, 41, died in a Corpus Christi hospital on Oct. 22.
McMullin said city officials are working on putting plans in place to deal with Lamb’s absence.
“We have benefited from an ongoing relationship with the building department in Aransas Pass and, to some extent, Ingleside,” McMullin said. “We’re hopeful that we can continue to utilize their building inspection services to avoid any interruption or delays in current and upcoming building projects.”
McMullin added, “The difficult task of attempting to replace Joe will likely begin almost immediately.”