James R. Lambertson

James Richard Lambertson, age 81, of Walled Lake, passed away on May 9, 2025. Jim was born in Hamtramck on November 11, 1943, to John Rehs and Eileen Love, they shared a home with his grandfather and grandmother. His grandfather was known for drinking, and this created a difficult childhood. Jim's parents bought a store with his father's brother and wife, Harvey and Avonda, the store was on Evergreen and 9 Mile near a trailer park. Jim was stocking shelves at 3 years old. This helped build the solid work ethic he had for his whole life. Jim had some good memories growing up. For instance, Jim and his sister, Karen, enjoyed playing in their chicken coop building for hours. Jim's dad, John, had to change his name to Lambertson to get a job with the New York Central railroad. His grandfather reputation as a drunk got him blacklisted from the railroad. John worked at Michigan Central for 50 years without taking a single sick day. When Jim was a kid, he spent many summers at his uncle's cottage in Clarkston. This is where he learned to water ski and fish. He would spend time there with his cousins, Carol and Marilyn, built a lifelong friendship. When his family would take vacations, one of Jim's favorites was going to the upper peninsula of Michigan where John's brother lived. Jim was able to spend time with cousins, Carol and Marilyn, at McDonald Lake playing in the water and soaking up the sun. His cousin, Carol, owned a grocery store and his other cousin, Marilynn, owned a resort near each other in Gulliver, Michigan. Jim loved visiting and seeing his cousins well into his retirement. The early trips to the upper peninsula were extra special, they involved taking a 2-hour ferry. Over time, they built the Mackinaw Bridge that made the trip easier. He remembered that the bridge was always supposed to be free to cross. At the age of 15 Jim, used his father's Gold Railroad Pass to travel to California in summer to spend time in Shasta Springs many times. He spent time building sidewalks, washing dishes, scrubbing floors and doing all kinds of chores. Some of these chores where exciting; he remembered climbing 200-foot tree. Cutting these trees down was no small feat, as he had to use a hand axe to cut boughs. This was difficult and fun work. Jim has a scar on his stomach to prove it. The boughs and trees were delivered and then setup at the amphitheater at Shasta Springs. The amphitheater is where the performance of the life of Christ is put on every year. In later years, Jim would place and remove angel wings on the performers. He went to Shasta Springs over 40 times. During high school, Jim loved to play sports. He was involved in football, basketball, and track nearly every day after school. He graduated from Thurston High School in 1962. After high school, Jim was able to pay cash for a 1963 Falcon Sprint Convertible that he modified with a reverberator. He enjoyed drag racing it on Woodward Avenue and on Plymouth Road. This is where he and his friends would hang out and spend time at the fast-food places. During one of Jim's adventures, he and his friend, Rick, jumped into the back seat of a car at Big Boy's on Plymouth Road and met two women that they started dating. One (Shirley) would late become Jim's wife. They were married in August of 1967 in a little church in Detroit near his grandmother's and uncle's house on Romain Street. The beauty of the singing of the Lord's Prayer at the wedding remained in Jim's thought throughout his life. His friends covered them with shaving cream as they left the wedding. Jim and his friends (Mike, Daryl, Rick and Bob) ended up working at McDonalds starting wage $0.75 an hour. Jim worked his way up to manager and earned a $1.25 an hour. He remembers carrying two 100-pound bags of potatoes up and down stairs. He was working around 60 hours a week while going to college at Henry Ford. The owner of the McDonald's offered to sell him the Redford Township location. He never got the opportunity to buy it, instead he got drafted. He received a physical and was on the bus getting ready to go, but the last minute the doctor came and told him he is not able to go. All his friends that went to the war are now deceased. After McDonald's Jim got an accounting degree from Henry Ford and started classes at Oakland University. He ended up getting a job at J.C. Penny and was a manager of a team that sold and managed service contracts. He worked their long enough to get a small pension, $65 a month. He decided to go into business for himself and opened an American Speedy Printing. He was so successful that the corporate offices asked him to open and run two more. Jim's kids would help and work at the business. His youngest, Sara, would sleep under the service counter until it was time for her to go to school. Jim also earned a real estate license and worked with his friend Daryl on rentals and buying and selling houses. Jim was no stranger to moving and spent most of his childhood in Reford, MI. When he started working, he moved several times: Mt. Clemens, Findley (Ohio), Livonia, West Bloomfield, Ortonville and Walled Lake. He moved six time in his first 10 years of marriage. Each house they owned would be fixed up and improved, allowing him to buy a better house with each move. During Jim's later years, he never lost his love of going to Mount Shasta, California. Jim was part of the team that planned and built a facility for children's activities. The building is around 4000 square feet and has 3 classrooms, library and sanctuary. Jim and his wife at the time spent several years overseeing the operations of the building. One of the activities that Jim worked to complete was a parent and children handbook, based on documentation gathered by church members that Jim assembled. This document is over 300 pages, and he donated and distributed over 120 copies. In his later years Jim enjoyed creating crafts and selling them at the various shows and farmers markets in Michigan and Florida. He loved making beaded and metal jewelry. He was very popular at the craft shows. He was always smiling and would give jewelry to people that he thought needed a little joy in their lives. One of his most popular items was jewelry made of natural rock and gemstones from Michigan. Jim always wanted to be active and used that energy to help in several activities. Some of the highlights include helping with remodels at the Detroit and several other I AM temples across the country, remodeling cottages in Gulliver Michigan, working on a light house in Gulliver, Michigan that his cousin Marilyn saved, and many other activities. Jim enjoyed music and loved being part of a choir and had a joy for singing. The fellowship with this choir brought joy to his life. He bought shirts for all the men in the choir with its name on it, "Heaven Connection Choir". The choir had shows throughout the Detroit metro area. He built several strong friendships with people from the choir. Travel was another passion of Jim's. He was able to see most of the United States including Hawaii, Europe, Mexico, and Australia. He was unfortunate enough to experience what drinking the water can do to an American in Mexico. Some of his fondest travel memories are seeing sea turtles hatch and fight their way to the ocean, going to the castle where Napoleon s son was held captive, and seeing where the Sound of Music was made. Jim felt that he has had a blessed life and shared it with many people though conversation, a smile and spreading happiness. He feels that God has protected him and brought him back from the brink of death a couple times. He has felt the presence of God throughout his life and has used that connection to give him strength to bring him through the hard times. After each challenge life brought him, he would be more joyous and kinder to the people around him. He will be missed by all the people who his life has touched, Jim will be remembered as the loving father of Paul (Melissa) Lambertson, Amy (Michael) Herrfurth, and Sara (Jonathan) Pelukas. Proud grandfather of Mickayla, Natalie, and Alexander. Dear brother of Karen (Joel) Price. Visitation for Jim will be held on Tuesday, May 13, from 10:00 a.m. until time of service, 12:00 p.m., at Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors, 705 W. Eleven Mile Rd. (four blocks east of Woodward), Royal Oak. Memorial contributions in memory of Jim can be directed to the Saint Germain Foundations of Detroit.

James R. Lambertson

November 21, 1943 - May 9, 2025