McKenny Dow Lambert, Jr.

Notes:

OBITUARY

Yakima Herald-Republic, 9 July 2003

McKinney Dow Lambert died Tuesday, July 1, 2003, at Landmark Care Center in Yakima. He was 79 years old.

Dow was born February 27, 1924 in Yakima, where he lived most of his life. The only son of McKinney Dow and Bessie (Meredith) Lambert, he endured the teasing of his three older sisters, and graduated from Yakima High School in 1941. The family moved to Seattle where Dow studied radio communications at Edison Technical School, graduating in 1942.

Dow then went to work for Pan American Airlines, and on a visit back to Edison a year later he met Lenore Cleveland, who was also studying radio. Dow and Lenore were married on March 27, 1944, after Lenore graduated, and they moved to New York where Dow continued working for Pan American.

They returned to Seattle in 1945, and after the birth of their first son, Steve, Dow joined the Merchant Marines. After completing a one-year tour of duty on the Seattle to Alaska route, Dow went to work as an announcer/technician for KTYW Radio in Yakima. He worked at KTYW for several years, during which time he and Lenore had two more sons (Mike and Dow). In 1951, he decided to switch from radio to the newly-emerging television, and took a job as a technician at KING in Seattle.

The family moved to Kennewick in 1954, where Dow went to work for KEPR TV, and then transferred to KIMA TV in Yakima in 1955. Dow worked for KIMA for 34 years, retiring in 1990 as Chief Engineer. He was considered a pioneer in the field of radio and television, designing and building systems that are in use to this day.

Dow was an avid golfer and a member and former Exalted Ruler of the Yakima Elks Lodge. He was also a member of the congregation of Englewood Christian Church, where he served on the building committee for construction of the new sanctuary in 1965, and sang in the church choir for over thirty years. Dow loved to sing, and in addition to the church choir he sang with several local choirs, including the Ambassadors, the Camerata Club, and the Yakima Symphony Choir. His other hobbies included computer programming and genealogical research.

After Lenore died in 1992, Dow's sister Eloise returned to Yakima from Seattle to live with him. They shared the house until 2002, then both moved to Sun Tower where their eldest sister, Wilma lived.


Dow was buried at Tahoma Cemetery on Thursday, July 3, 2003. A memorial service for family and friends was held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at Englewood Christian Church.


Buried:
Grave location, obituary and tombstone photo:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43857231

McKenny married Leonore M. Cleveland. Leonore was born 24 Sep 1925, Del Norte Co. CA; died 26 Jan 1992, Yakima Co. WA; was buried , Tahoma Cemetery, Yakima, Yakima Co. WA. [Group Sheet]