Elena Beatrice Lambing, 80, of Ventura, CA, passed away on March 1, 2022 in Ventura, CA. Elena was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico to Guadalupe Ortega and Erminnie Lovejoy Duran (Mescalero Apache) on July 11, 1941. She attended high school at Alamogordo High School and graduated in 1959. She went on to study 1 year at Eastern New Mexico University with a focus in physical education. Elena met her future husband Oran Lambing while working the refreshment counter at the local movie theater in Alamogordo, NM. Her future husband was working as the camera projectionist at the theater and to stay alert needed lots of coffee and snacks from the candy counter. Oran was in the US Air Force, and meeting at the movie theater was the beginning of a beautiful courtship and rich 60 year-long marriage. The couple was married on August 12, 1961 in Gulfport, Mississippi. Growing up, Elena spent hours with her big brother Raymond playing basketball or reading/learning from the World Book Encyclopedia. With Raymond as the tour guide, they enjoyed “traveling to see the world” in the abandoned Model A car in the sparce conditions where they grew up. Raymond was a wonderful, imaginative but factual world traveler based on the encyclopedia and would point out all the “sights” on each trip. Elena was enthralled with the trips. Through the Air Force, Oran and Elena traveled all over the world and lived in many exciting places. Everywhere they lived or traveled, Elena would ensure that her family saw everything that one could find in the encyclopedia! But, of course, that is later in the story. The adventure begins after Elena and Minnie moved to California. While Oran was in training, they wrote love letters back and forth. Eventually to marry her husband, Elena traveled with her steamer trunks to Mississippi by greyhound bus. Intense training and the Vietnam war soon intervened. However, the happy couple were able to reconnect, living in the Philippines/Thailand/Taiwan prior to traveling to the European Continent and bringing Grandma Minnie along with their two daughters. While in Europe, they traveled to the Netherlands, Belgium, Lichtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and more. The stories are heartwarming for the lovebirds and family—three Easters in Paris, summers spent on the Coast of Spain drinking Sangria, sharing family dinners at Gasthausers or enjoying Chateaubriand for 5. They visited every museum, every Cathedral, and every famous fountain. They traveled to the Vatican City, spent time in every city collecting sculptures and dolls, taking Rhine Cruises and visiting famous castles, enjoying Octoberfest, seeing the Swiss Alps, the Olympics of 1972, the Passion Play Oberammergau, the Christmas Markets, the salt mines, the tulips, Notre Dame, Mona Lisa, Leaning Tower of Pisa—simply everything in the encyclopedia. It was a grand, family adventure playing out in a Dodge Dart instead of the Model A. While in the Philippines Elena trained as a Dental Hygienist. In Europe, she became a Girl Guides Leader for Troops on Foreign Soil (TOFS) facilitating weeks long established camp trips in other adjacent countries for Girl Scouts. Her Spanish language skills were key in Spain and Italy but to effectively travel she also learned Tagalog and German. She served as chaperone on trips for students to other countries and for exchange programs. She collected European clocks including 38 antique mantle clocks, several Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks, an amazing Ave Maria oversized wall clock and 4 grandfather clocks—and to enjoy the chimes of all the clocks, they were always set to different times. When her carefully collected world treasures were lost in the Thomas Fire, her fierce determination, resilience and love of family took precedence over all else. After all, starting in an abandoned Model A, with only an imagination, with a dream that came true for her family, well it really was the journey with Oran and the stories/memories that gave her life richness beyond measure.
When Oran was due for remote training in the late 1970’s, Elena, mother Minnie and daughters returned to California to be near brother Raymond and so many other family members including Minnie’s sisters and their children/grandchildren. It was the perfect village to support Elena and her family while Oran was away. Soon after, Elena and Oran renewed their Wedding Vows in the Catholic Church surrounded by family. Elena worked 2 decades for Holly Sugar (Santa Maria/Oxnard), as the Industrial Liaison and published the Sugar Beets Newspaper in both English and Spanish. She had a special bond with her cousin who worked diligently on each issue with Elena to ensure the language accuracy. She received awards for her contributions to the newspaper. Eventually Elena and Oran moved permanently to Ventura when their first grandchild was born (since Gramsie Minnie was already living in Ventura with the family). Elena initially worked in a medical office until her mother Minnie became ill and thus she permanently retired.
Elena enjoyed sewing, crocheting, shopping, reading, writing letters/cards, drawing, completing jigsaw puzzles, and completion of the daily crossword puzzle. In particular, she loved crafting, drawing and painting a variety of wood shapes for every holiday. Travel near and far remained a constant joy. For Elena and Oran’s 50th Wedding Anniversary, all her children and grandchildren joined the couple for a Princess Cruise to Alaska, followed soon after with a Cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Elena loved attending plays and would scout out high school, community and professional productions, especially musicals for her family. One of her lifelong passions included a life of service to Girl Scouts. As a grandmother, Elena was heavily involved with Girl Scouts, leading sessions on sewing and crafting as well as serving as a Leader and a taste tester during cookie booth season. She supported her daughter and later her granddaughters (3) in achieving the highest awards in scouting, the Girl Scout Gold Award and her grandson in his Boy Scout Eagle Scout Award. Oran and Elena were a fan club like no other for many other wonderful student activities like soccer, cross country, track, volleyball, dancing and robotics. Elena even taught sewing at Cabrillo Middle School in Ventura for 3 years.
Elena was passionate about family. Both Oran and Elena worked to ensure that their daughters were offered opportunities that they did not have. Education was of paramount importance, so Elena was very proud of her daughters’ accomplishments—Cheryl Lambing, Physician and Cynthia Murphy, Chemical Engineer. Family and family traditions touched the heart of Elena. This included her over-the-top love for the Christmas holiday season. Each year Elena chose individualized ornaments for every family member and created handmade crocheted gifts such blankets, scarfs, and hats. Christmas traditions were very important to Elena. Each year, Christmas Eve dinner consisted of homemade tamales and pozole with pork chili (her favorite meal). Before opening gifts, she loved singing the song 12 Days of Christmas and reading The Night Before Christmas, which she knew by heart. Gift giving was her special hobby, selecting the perfect gift for her family members brought her joy and satisfaction (plus a new pair of pajamas if family would be in the home for Christmas—in this Elena was channeling her talented Aunt Cruzita who could whip up a pair of PJ’s in 20 minutes like magic). Grandma Elena is also remembered for her creativity in planning Theme Birthday Parties including special costumes she would sew, food, games, prizes and in particular the traveling suitcase game was a family favorite for over 40 years (also known as ‘Going to Miami’). The game was sure to reduce the participants and audience to tears of laughter. Elena had a special place in her heart for her furry little dogs that brought love, kisses, fun and excitement to her each day.
Elena is survived by the love of her life Oran Lambing; her brother Raymond Ortega, his wife Dora; her daughters Cheryl and Cynthia; her grandchildren Ashley-Lynn, Caitlyn, Jeremy and Jordan; her son-in-laws Robert Fastenau and James Murphy; her Godson Tyler; her nieces Carla, Diana, Jenny and their children Claire, Mason, Tyler, Hayley, Talia, Tatum, Gus and Max. Special family members are many, some including Diana (Dick) Perkins Family, Betty Cooper and extended family (Marie Moncada), Carmen and Shirley Baca, Liz Brackett (Mary “Cruzita” Baca) and sister-in-law Patty Prada and Lee. She is also loved and missed by friends and family near and far.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Elena’s many caring physicians, especially long-term personal physician Geoff Loman and to the amazing medical teams, including dialysis, vascular, nursing who helped make her comfortable. We celebrate Elena -- loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother with our family, envisioning our family spirit animal, The Phoenix, until we meet again.
From a special hymn, “And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand”.
Family and friends are invited to Memorial Services to be held Saturday July 9, 2022 at 10am in the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, 757 E. Main Street Ventura.
Hopefully soon you will see an inscription at the Ventura Pier in honor of Oran and Elena’s Love Story.
Arrangements are under the direction of JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, 757 E. Main Street, Ventura.