CLARA SIZEMORE LAMBETH

Clara Sizemore Lambeth

Clara Sizemore Lambeth, 96, of Bedford, died Wednesday, October 6, 2010. She was the wife of the late Bolling Lambeth.

Clara was born on December 15, 1913 in Buffalo Junction, a rural section of Mecklenburg County, the daughter of the late John Edward (Dunnie) Sizemore and Lizzie Pittard Sizemore.

Her early years were spent in Buffalo Lithia Springs, a popular resort, where her father had a general store. There she attended a four-room country school. She graduated, as valedictorian, from Clarksville High School in 1930, entering the College of William and Mary at age 16 and graduating in 1935 with a degree in biology and chemistry. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

During this era, when John D. Rockefeller was persuaded to restore the village of Williamsburg, she first became interested in historic preservation, eventually devoting much of her life to saving and preserving historic buildings. She attended medical school at the University of Virginia for four years and, while in Charlottesville, met Bedford native Bolling Lambeth. They were married on Oct. 3, 1942. Following World War II, she moved to Bedford and became involved in numerous community activities, including the Bedford Library Board and the first children's summer reading program; Main St. Methodist Church, serving as President of the Women's Society of Christian Service and teaching Sunday school; the Bedford Book Forum; and the Garden Club of Bedford. She also taught the fourth grade at Big Island Elementary School for two memorable years.

Clara was a founding member and guiding force of the Bedford Historical Society spearheading the rescue and restoration of the Bedford Historic Meeting House; early preservation efforts at New London Academy; and numerous National Register of Historic Places designations throughout Bedford City and County. With her husband and children, she played a significant role in the rescue and preservation of many historic sites, including Poplar Forest, Avenel, the 1834 Cottage, John Wharton House, Charles & Louise Wharton House, Harrison Building, Spradlin & Updike, Citizens Bank, and Morton-Sizemore House, as well as the development of the Bedford Main Street program and the continuing efforts to save the 1912 Public School from demolition.

She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, actively supporting the many activities and causes of her family. In her later years, she took great pride in the accomplishments of her two grandsons.

She is survived by her son, Robert B. Lambeth, Jr. and wife, Lynn, and daughter, Betty Lambeth Gereau and husband, Len; two grandchildren, Bolling Lee Gereau and Robert Bolling Lambeth III; a brother, William G. (Bill) Sizemore and wife, Helen; a niece, Beverly Sizemore and husband, Chris Walker; three nephews, Ed Sizemore, Steve Sizemore and wife, Patricia Barnes, and James Holcombe Lambeth; and numerous cousins.

The family will receive friends from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., on Friday, November 5, 2010, at Tharp Funeral Home in Bedford. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at the Bedford Historic Meeting House, 145 W. Main St., Bedford, with the Rev. Dr. Carl H. Douglass, Jr. officiating, followed by a reception at Avenel, 413 Avenel Ave., Bedford. A private burial will be held in Oakwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Bedford Historical Society, P. O. Box 602, Bedford, VA 24523.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family, 434-237-9424.