Lewis A Tambs

1927 - 2017

Tambs, Lewis A
Lewis Arthur Tambs returned to the Lord on October 19, 2017. He died peacefully in Tempe, Arizona with his loving wife of 35 years Phyllis Greer Tambs by his side. Lewis was born in San Diego, CA on July 7, 1927 to the late Fred and Marguerite Tambs Jones. He served in the United States Army from 1945-47 and 1950-51. Lewis graduated from the University of California Berkley with a degree in civil engineering in 1953 and went on to work for Standard Brands Oil in San Francisco. Tambs then worked from 1954-59 in Venezuela first as a pipeline engineer for Creole Petroleum in Caracas and later as a General Manager for CACYP Petroleum in Maracaibo. Upon returning to the states he studied Latin American History at UC Santa Barbara, where he received a Masters and Ph.D. Lewis taught at Creighton University as an assistant professor and later became a tenured professor and the Director for Latin American Studies at Arizona State University. He also taught at the graduate level at Thunderbird International School of Management. Lewis was fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and wrote various books and articles on Russia, Hitler's Spanish Legion, and most notably Latin America. Lewis Tambs' expertise led him to a position as a Latin American consultant at the National Security Council in 1982 and was subsequently appointed United States Ambassador to Colombia (1983-85) and Costa Rica (1985-87). After retiring in 2002 from Arizona State University, Lew spent countless hours on the water sailing in San Diego and Nanaimo, Canada. He was an active member of the Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus. Lewis was a devoted family man, loyal friend and public servant. He is survived by his wife Phyllis and seven children: Kari Tambs, Kristin Tambs Crocker, (Chris), Jennifer Tambs Butler, (Wes), Heidi Tambs, Greer Tambs, Michael Tambs, and Alexa Tambs. Along with three grandchildren: Emile and Enzo Butler and Carson Crocker. He is proceeded in death by his parents and cousin Beverly Christy. He will be remembered as a man of great conviction and integrity. Visitation will be held Wednesday, October 25, 2017, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. with a rosary at 6:30p.m. at Resthaven/Carr- Tenney Mortuary, 4310 E. Southern Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85042. Services will be held on October 26, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Holy Spirit Church located 1800 E Libra Dr, Tempe, AZ 85283 . In lieu of flowers, please pray for our family or consider a donation to: Hospice of the Valley https://www.hov.org/donate/