200 pay tribute to attorney Lambright
CONROE — Close to 200 people packed the First Baptist Church on Monday to honor the late Montgomery County Attorney J.D. Lambright as speakers encouraged the crowd to live by Lambright’s philosophy: Do the right thing for the right reasons.
Lambright, 69, died March 9 following a brief battle with cancer. Monday’s event was a celebration of his life, his accomplishments and his legacy. Family, friends, county employees and elected officials attended.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, RThe Woodlands, called Lambright’s life “remarkable.”
“He was truly special,” Brady said, noting Lambright’s professional success and wide-ranging interests, which included playing drums and riding motorcycles. “That was J.D.; he just exceeded expectations.”
While Lambright had many interests, Brady said, his one true love was his wife of 43 years, Belinda.
“Happy is the man who finds a true friend and far happier is he who finds that true friend in his wife,” Brady quoted. “He found that friend in Belinda.”
Brady and state Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, presented Lambright’s widow with a United States flag and a Texas flag flown over the United States Capitol and the Texas Capitol.
“Today we say goodbye to an outstanding public servant,” Metcalf said. “Montgomery County will long remember J.D. Lambright for service to his community, his integrity, his positive attitude and most of all his wife Belinda.”
First Assistant County Attorney B.D. Griffin recalled the last six years working under Lambright as “the best,” noting he not only found a great job and boss, but a true friend.
“He cared about each and every one of us,” Griffin said. “He brought passion and perseverance to the County Attorney’s Office that was unmatched.”
Rusty Reeve, who met Lambright in high school, described Lambright as a “really cool guy” and his closest friend.
“J.D. could tackle any project and be successful at it,” Reeve said. “His work ethic of ‘do the right thing for the right reason’ extended to his personal life. I would just like to say I am truly honored to have J.D. as a loyal friend, a wonderful mentor over these last 54 years.”
Lambright was first elected Montgomery County attorney in 2012. His preference for handling litigation in-house, rather than hiring outside lawyers to represent the county, was credited with saving taxpayers many thousands of dollars.
A native of Pampa in the Texas Panhandle, Lambright earned engineering degrees from Texas Tech University and his law degree from South Texas College of Law. Before opening his own law firm in 1999, he had a 25-year career as a geophysicist/electrical engineer.
“Today we say goodbye to an outstanding public servant. Montgomery County will long remember J.D. Lambright for service to his community, his integrity, his positive attitude and most of all his wife Belinda.”
State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe