Michael Dennis Lamb

Michael Dennis Lamb, age 70 of the Packanack Lake section of Wayne, passed away on Thursday, August 5, 2021. His family was lovingly by his side at the time of this passing.

Raised in Scotch Plains, Mike was one of William and Elizabeth (McCarthy) Lamb’s five children. He was a graduate of Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains, NJ the class of 1969. Already as a young boy Mike had a penchant for mischief. In elementary school, those nuns wouldn’t have any of it. Consequently, many-a wooden ruler was sacrificed by virtue of a very close encounter with Mike’s body. Once, during high school, he just couldn’t resist “borrowing” a steel sodium brick from the science lab. He took the brick and threw it in a nearby lake where it promptly exploded causing it to end up back on land. It got really funny when Mike read in the newspaper the next day that the local police took the brick back to headquarters where, in an attempt to cool it off, they threw it in water causing it to explode again!

In the fall of 1969, Mike headed off to Newark State Teachers College, now known as Kean University, in pursuit of higher education. Mike had hopes and aspirations of becoming a science teacher. Having earned his Bachelor’s degree in education, Mike would have made an awesome teacher but his life path lead him in a different direction. Back in the day when he graduated, it was hard for teachers to make a decent living. Mike knew this and, since he had been working part time as a butcher, he chose to pursue this trade instead. As a butcher at the ShopRite store in Oakland he gained a wealth of experience which eventually lead to a job with Foodtown at the corporate level in meat sales. In ensuing years he was also a meat sales executive at A&P and Kings Food Markets until formally retiring in 2016. Mike quickly realized that, for him, retirement wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be, so back to work he went, choosing to be an independent consultant for various food chains. In the end, he really never did retire. Mike was a most sociable guy who truly loved his customers and would do anything to make them happy. If they wanted a special cut of beef, Mike would make it happen and he especially loved mingling with the customers in the stores during the holidays.

While working as a butcher in the Oakland ShopRite Mike took a liking to a sweet young lady named Patty Fleming who worked in the deli department. After a time of admiring her from a distance, he finally worked up the courage to ask her out and, while Patty doesn’t remember where they went on that first date, it must have been fun enough to earn him more dates with her and eventually marriage. Lots of dates were down the shore to hang out with her and Mike’s former fraternity brothers from Nu Delta Pi. Mike proposed marriage by slipping a beautiful engagement ring into a glass of champagne. It almost backfired when, not really noticing the ring, Patty almost swallowed it while sipping the champagne. Talk about being choked up! Mike and Patty exchanged wedding promises before God, family and friends on Sunday, April 25, 1982 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Oakland. After a reception at the Pompton Lakes Elks Club they honeymooned in Bermuda where they both got badly sunburned on an overcast day. Their sunburn was so bad that, they had to stay inside for two days. Mike only went out to get pieces of aloe plant so they could squeeze out the aloe to apply on the sunburn for some much-needed relief.

Mike and Patty’s first home was in Ringwood at 18 James Drive. The highlight of living there was the neighbor’s golden retriever named Precious. Mike and Patty loved that dog and would often take her with them when they went on hikes. Their next home was in the Pines Lake section of Wayne where they were blessed with their own “Precious” – a baby boy which they named Michael. In 1988 they moved again, this time to Packanack Lake in Wayne where they were blessed that same year with another son named Ryan and, in 1989, a baby girl who they named Allison. Mike adored his children and would do anything he could to help them enjoy and succeed in life. His generosity to himself was put on the back burner so that he could give his kids the best. When his sons Mike and Ryan were in high school, Mike wanted them to enjoy those years, so he encouraged them to play sports rather than work. Michael’s generosity was also seen in the help he gave to the kids when it was time for their first cars. Michael always said, “you have your whole life to work, enjoy these times now”.

Mike himself loved cool cars. In college he had a Pontiac GTO and a 57 Chevy. One time before marriage he won a $10,000 lottery prize and went right out and bought himself a Datsun 280Z. Remember those?  Of course with a lottery win like that, anyone would be hooked on buying lottery tickets for the rest of their lives. He was religious about buying them and always played the same numbers. He especially liked playing the NJ Pick 6 and he didn’t just purchase tickets for himself. Mike bought them for everybody and anybody. Even when Allie was living in Hawaii and Ryan in Alaska, Mike would send them NJ Pick 6 scratch offs even though, if they won, they wouldn’t be able to take them to a local store in Hawaii or Alaska to cash in.

Mike was a lifelong lover of photography. Back in high school, he was the school’s yearbook photographer and when his kids came around, he was always ready to snap a shot. He had literally thousands of photos of his kids to document their lives. Many of those photos included action shots of them at their football, track, soccer, swimming and volleyball competitions. He took so many pictures of the kids, his family used to joke that he could put those photos in one of those old fashioned flip books where, when you flip fast through the pages, you could make it look like and action film. Mike also liked to play golf. In retirement, he found more time to play so he bought a new set of clubs and could always be found at the Packanack Golf Club, especially on Senior Wednesdays. He would bring an extra bucket of balls because of his propensity for losing them. His Friends would even sometimes drop a bucket of balls in the yard as a joke.

Mike had a great sense of dry, sarcastic humor. He had fun lovingly busting his wife Patty and his kids. He was very down to earth and had a heart of gold. He was the kind of guy who would take the shirt off his back if you needed it, get another and give you that one too. He will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Mike was the beloved husband of Patricia, blessed in marriage for 39 years. He was the incredibly loved father of Michael Gove Lamb and wife Haley of Hope Maine, Ryan Lamb of Wayne, and Allison Lamb of Honolulu and Oakland, CA; cherished grandfather of Alwin; dear brother of Patrick of Springfield, NJ, Christopher of Westfield, NJ, the late Mary Lamb and the late William Lamb; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Mikes’s name are asked to consider:

Wayne Fire Company #5
5 Lake Drive W
Wayne, NJ 07470
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