Deanna Jacquline Lambert

1943 - 2024

Deanna Jacquline Lambert
03/04/1943 - 02/26/2024
Born March 4, 1943 in Greencastle, Indiana, to Louella Fern Sinclair and William Ralph Summers, Deanna Summers Lambert was the first born among the six Summers kids and spent a tomboy childhood on the farm baling hay, falling out of trees, driving the tractor, walking the fence line, taking care of chickens (which she hated) and raising sheep (which she tolerated). Deanna lived full force determined to discover a different path far away from any live chickens.

She loved school from the very beginning making excellent grades and good friends through it all. Though her dimples, lovely legs and an Owen County Fair Queen title attracted a lot of attention from the boys in the area, the one who made an impression was a basketball-playing boy a town over at the rival high school. She and Mark Lambert started dating at 16 and never parted for the next 60+ years. She attended Indiana State University as an honor student throughout and was president of her sorority Gamma Phi Beta. She and Mark married upon graduation, and she worked as a typing teacher and earned her graduate degree at Indiana University while Mark was in medical school. Their daughters Marnie and Raegan were born in '69 and '73. Deanna was a fiercely protective mother and grandmother who expected much from her daughters and grandson but also gave much. At any moment, you might have money slipped into your pocket, one of her antique treasures packed into your car, or a shopping trip for "interview clothes."

When the family moved to Houston in 1976, Deanna fell in love with Texas and set to work making it a home for Mark and the girls. Deanna managed the kids' activities, bills, house, etc. while Mark focused on building the medical practice. Organized and thorough, Deanna was the oil that kept the machine running. She could retrieve a twenty-year-old document when you needed it but also, somehow, never overfilled a drawer or closet. Or she could discover a hidden gem of an antique shop armed only with her key map and instinct.

Deanna shared with her family a child's delight in the Christmas season. Every year, she created a wonderland with her every-growing collection of handcrafted Santas and decorations inspired by Colonial Williamsburg. A generous and thoughtful gift giver, she shopped with Christmas on her mind whenever she traveled. Once her grandson was born, she was forever on the lookout for Texas ornaments to add to his tree. Post Christmas, the family would need to remind her gently that it was time to put the Santas away until next year. Traveling to new places was another delight for Deanna, and she and Mark traveled frequently with friends and family. From a Prague trip with her sisters, a Monaco adventure with a daring friend, Europe and Canada with Mark and good friends, and all over the US with her daughters, Deanna loved every moment of those trips. The photos from all show her beautiful face with her radiant smile.

A competitive woman who took winning seriously, Deanna played tennis for years at Memorial Bend and the Houston Racquet Club. The women she played with grew into a tight-knit group who solved all the world's problem during their post-match "therapy sessions" and Round Top antiquing missions. A member of Houston Junior Woman's Club, Deanna also volunteered regularly at her daughters' schools. For a decade, she was a board member at Foster's Home for Children in Stephenville, Texas; she was steadfast in supporting their mission and thorough in her preparation for every meeting, call, or event.

Deanna was a woman dedicated to family and friends and serious about doing the right thing at the right time. At times, that was a high ideal for those around her but she expected it for herself too. Her belief in God was a constant, and participation in the fellowship at Memorial Church of Christ part of her being. A woman who literally got down on her knees to pray until she could do it no more, Deanna's faith was strong until the end.

Deanna is survived by her daughters Marnie and Raegan, grandson Raymond, sisters Claudia LaRoche and Pam Staley, and brothers Joe Summers and Rodney Summers. The recent loss of her husband along with her own health issues proved too difficult for Deanna to overcome. Though there will not be a service, the Summers and Lambert families will gather in Indiana to remember both Mark and Deanna together as they requested. If you wish to express your condolences, please consider contributing to the Foster's Home for Children in Stephenville, Texas. www.fostershome.org