In loving memory

Isabel M. LaPorte-Lamberg
April 22, 1926–Feb. 26, 2021

Portrait of Isabel M. LaPorte-Lamberg by her husband, Ingolf Lamberg

Isabel M. LaPorte-Lamberg of Chatham, Mass., died peacefully at her home on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, after a brief illness.

She was born in the Bronx in New York City on April 22, 1926.  Isabel was the daughter of the late Irene and George Stone and wife of the late Ingolf Lamberg. She was educated in New York City public schools and graduated from Walton High School. She then graduated from Hunter College, New York City. As a child, she spent her summers in Chatham. In 1946, Isabel moved to Brewster, Mass.

Isabel taught third and fourth grade at Brewster Elementary School for 39 years, retiring in 1985. When she started teaching in 1948, the school building held 79 children from the first through eighth grade. Working in both the “old school” and the “new” building, Isabel inspired, encouraged and guided close to 1,000 Brewster youngsters. Her love of literature and social studies led to annual readings of many classics and class trips to the Second District Court of Orleans. Her dedication to excellence and her insistence on good manners and discipline were appreciated by students and teachers alike. 

In her retirement, Isabel owned and operated the “Convince Me” Gallery in Chatham with her late husband, Ingolf. They celebrated all their occasions with “skål.”  

Isabel had many companions and aides over the years, and her family is grateful to them for their care. A great joy for Isabel was her many friendships including, her 94-year friendship with her beloved cousin Catherine. New friends and old, including former students, all had a special place in her heart.  Her entertaining stories celebrating her love of family and friends will forever be treasured.

Isabel entertained her listeners with treasured stories capturing the essence of the history of her times, from her father’s horse “Tex” in the Mexican-American Border War, to her great-grandfather working on the Erie Canal after he arrived as a young penniless Irish immigrant. Isabel told tales from Jackson Avenue in the Bronx to her teaching days in Brewster to her retirement years in Chatham with her loving husband, Ingolf. Norwegian and American history came alive in her living room.

A mass of Christian burial was held at Holy Redeemer Church in Chatham on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at 10 a.m. and is being streamed at www.holyredeemerchatham.org. Burial immediately followed at the Brewster Cemetery in Brewster.

Isabel is survived by her cousin, Catherine Brooker, and several nieces and nephews. Notes of comfort may be made to Isabel’s family at www.ccgfuneralhome.com/locations/harwich.

This article originally appeared in the March 12, 2021, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.