Doris Lambie

Doris E. Lambie, age 94, of Grand Forks, died Sunday, April 6, 2025, at Valley Senior Living on 42nd St., with her family by her side.

Doris Evangelyn Benson was born June 17, 1930, in Warren, MN. She was the only child of Hilda Josephine (Lundin) and Eddie Bror Benson. After Eddie's death in 1933, Hilda continued to manage the farm until it was sold in 1939. Doris and her mother then moved to the Lundin family farm at Happy Corner near Stephen, MN, where they lived with Hilda's mother and two uncles, Victor and Ander.

Doris had a life-long interest in education. She received her initial schooling at home from her cousin, Lillian Hanson, a local schoolteacher who lived with them. Happy Corner had a one-room public school, and when Doris enrolled she was placed in the second grade. Doris attended Stephen High School, graduating as Valedictorian in 1947. She graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, in 1951 with a double major in English and History and a minor in Education. After graduation, she taught high school English and drama at Barnesville, ND for one year then spent the next year teaching at Grafton, ND.

In 1949, a mutual friend introduced Doris to John Lambie, who was studying agriculture at NDSU. Doris and John were married at the St. Petri Church in rural Stephen, MN on December 28, 1952. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary together in December 2022. After one year of farming, John decided to pursue a career in medicine. Doris worked to support the couple, teaching for a year at South Junior High School in Grand Forks and then for two years in Fisher, MN while John attended pre-med courses and two years of Medical School at UND.

In 1958, Doris and John moved to Philadelphia, PA, where John completed his last two years of Medical School at Pennsylvania University and a one-year internship. Doris and John had two sons while living in Philadelphia, Paul Benson (1957) and Eric John (1959). In 1959, the family moved to Ann Arbor, MI, for John's residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center, returning to Grand Forks in 1962. In July 1965, they welcomed a daughter, Susan Janine. Miniature schnauzers Blitz and Jake were also beloved family members over the years.

Soon after moving to Grand Forks, Doris and John bought a house on the 2700 block of Chestnut Street, joining a neighborhood community of young families and establishing life-long friendships. They joined the congregation of Calvary Lutheran Church where Doris was a Sunday School and VBS teacher, served as Church Board Secretary and participated in Church Circle.

In 1967, the Lambies moved to the 3200 block of Belmont Rd. where they lived for 43 years and raised their family. She acted as accountant, den mother, secretary, chauffeur, sports fan and band concert enthusiast, janitor, proofreader, typist, nurse, counselor, tailor, archivist, mediator and fashion consultant, yet always had dinner ready at 6:30. Preparing food for the enjoyment of her family was very important to Doris. She loved to try new recipes, and always remembered which ones you really liked - the cheese puffs, nut goodie bars and cholesterol sandwiches, among many others.

Doris gave of her time generously, volunteering at Deaconess Hospital, United Hospital and Altru. She was a member of the 3rd District Medical Hospital Auxiliary, and a 71-year member and past President of PEO Chapter T. As a 50-year member of Thursday Music Club, the National Federation of Music Clubs and past president of the North Dakota Federation of Music Clubs, she organized the annual NFMC Festival in the region for many years, and especially enjoyed awarding scholarships to students at the International Peace Garden summer music camp. In 1998 she was awarded Thursday Music Club’s Gold Note Award in recognition of her contributions to promoting the enjoyment and appreciation of music in the Grand Forks area.

In her mid 40’s Doris took up tennis and became a regular at the Grand Forks Tennis Center and later at Choice Fitness Center, where she enjoyed both playing tennis and socializing. She continued to play tennis even after a total knee replacement, finally retiring from the sport at the age of 80. She was an avid reader and a member of Entre Nous book club . She had a vast storehouse of knowledge and was particularly fond of testing her wits against Alex Trebek on Jeopardy and solving the puzzles on Wheel of Fortune.

Family and friends were important to Doris. In addition to hosting holiday dinners for local relatives, she was a prodigious correspondent, penning long letters in her distinctive longhand script. She especially enjoyed being part of the Round Robin newsletter, exchanging stories and life updates with college friends from Concordia and relatives across the country. "Doris loves to shop" her husband John would often say, and then follow up with "But, not for herself!" She took joy in finding the perfect gifts for family members, and also took pride in making them herself in the form of detailed needlepoint works of art.

Doris enjoyed traveling with her family, organizing cross-country expeditions with the kids to see the different parts of the US and meet up with relatives. Over the years, Doris and John visited all 50 states. On their own, with friends, or through Ederhostel and UND Alumni trips, they traveled to Mexico, the Caribbean, and much of Europe. After John's retirement, Doris and he spent the winter months in Palm Desert, CA, where they socialized and played tennis. During the summer months, they vacationed at the family cabin on Lake Movil, near Bemidji, MN, where they spent time with extended family and friends. The Lambie family annual gathering at the lake still continues every summer and Doris was there with her kids and grandkids in August 2024.

In 2010 Doris and John moved to a townhome on King’s Walk Golf Course, where they continued to live independently until John’s death on September 19, 2023. In October 2023, Doris moved to Valley Senior Living Wheatland Terrace Assisted Living, then to Woodside Village Skilled Nursing in January 2025.

Doris is preceded in death by her husband, John A. Lambie, and parents, Hilda and Eddie Benson. She is survived by her children Paul (Dawn) Lambie, Eric Lambie (Barbara Conradt), Susan (Andrew) Corthell, grandchildren Erin (Nate) Alston, Gabriel Lambie, Cody Corthell, Colton Corthell, Max Conradt and Axel Conradt, and her first great grandchild, baby boy Alston, due in August 2025.

Memorial Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at Calvary Lutheran Church, Grand Forks. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service in the church, followed by a luncheon. Interment will be in Memorial Park North Cemetery, Grand Forks. Arrangements by Amundson Funeral Home in Grand Forks.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to The Doris ’51 and John Lambie Endowed Scholarship at Concordia College-Moorhead, Valley Senior Living Foundation, Grand Forks or Calvary Lutheran Church, Grand Forks.