(Steve Zind) The picture that emerges of 57-year-old Linda Lambesis, who died in Thursday’s shooting, is one of a woman who was a leader and a tireless volunteer in the neighborhood where she lived.
Lambesis served as a co-president of the teachers’ union at Saint Albans Town Education Center, where she taught second grade for many years. She was looking forward to beginning a new school year next week.
Andrea Brown is a psychologist for the Saint Albans School District:
(Brown) “By all accounts she was a very well-respected teacher. The kids loved her, they were all looking forward to starting the new year with her next Wednesday.”
(Zind) Lambesis lived in a townhouse development on a quiet street in Essex Town. Many of the people who live in the 33 condominiums in the development don’t know each other, but they all knew Linda Lambesis. She served as president of the condominium board ever since the development was established. Ann Larson lives in the one of the townhouses:
(Larson) “She had very strong ideas and was very forceful. She had to be the one to give hard news to people that projects they wanted just weren’t going to get done.”
(Zind) Larson says she was amazed that Lambesis could commute to Saint Albans to teach and still find the time and energy required of a volunteer board member.
Linda Lambesis is survived by her two daughters, Jennifer and Andrea.
For Vermont Public Radio, I’m Steve Zind.