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Published on 07/20/1998 All articles from this issue

Hundreds mourn finance director Sherry Lambach at memorial service

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue

Town Crier Staff Writer

Flags flew at half-staff and city offices closed as hundreds gathered for a memorial service at 11 a.m. July 22 for Sherry Lambach, the award-winning finance director for the city of Los Altos.

"She's one of the foundations of the city," said Roy Lave, a former mayor of Los Altos, after the service. "She will be hard to replace."

Lambach, 54, died suddenly of a heart attack about 2 p.m. July 17 in her city hall office. She began with the city in 1966 and became finance director in 1990.

"She stepped in and did a lot of things, with no fanfare or need for glory," said Lee Lynch, also a former mayor of Los Altos, after the service. "She just did the job - more than the job."

Women from the Sunnyvale Chapter of the Easter Star No. 250, to which Lambach belonged, conducted the standing-room only service that was held in the multipurpose room of the Hillview Community Center in Los Altos.

The Rev. Charles Campbell, from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, participated.

In a eulogy former city manager Dianne Gershuny said Lambach was a modest person, for whom a "simple thank you would do."

So Gershuny said she would talk about Lambach in terms of a balance sheet, about "what we owe Sherry."

She told of how Lambach kept a jar of jelly beans in her office.

"And she didn't even like jelly beans. But she knew we did, and Sherry took care of us."

Lambach's long hours and attention to detail were legendary.

"Taxpayers owe Sherry 'big time,'" Gershuny said. Lambach had worked for Los Altos more than 30 years. But Gershuny said it was "at least 60 years" that Lambach gave to the community, because of her commitment.

"A simple thing, like (Lambach) keeping the books perfectly," Gershuny said, " allowed us to borrow money very inexpensively for things like acquiring park land."

Bruce Bane, Los Altos director of public works, also spoke. Bane and Lambach had worked together at city hall for nearly 30 years.

He reminisced about card games of Hearts during lunch hours and racing off to bowl a few strings before 1 p.m. He spoke of Lambach's loyalty to her friends.

Following the service, people gathered for a buffet luncheon reception hosted by the city staff.

Police Chief Lucy Carlton praised Lambach's work ethic, which she called a "role model."

Like Carlton, Lambach traveled with her mother. "We had that friendship, that mother-daughter bond that we shared," Carlton said.

Debby Maynard, recreation supervisor with the city of Los Altos, called Gershuny's remarks "a very moving tribute. She spoke for all of us (at city hall) about how much Sherry gave to the city and her co-workers."

City flags have flown at half-staff only three times this decade, city staff said, for council member Denny Spangler, city employee Barbara Mitford and Lambach.

"I was fortunate to have worked with her," said Los Altos Mayor Kris Casto, "and know of her devotion of our community."