Dusty's passing

T

thataway

Active member
I received a message from Charlie "Captain's Cat".:

Dusty passed away last Tuesday. He would have been 100 in February. Please let the Brats know, if they have not heard. He wanted no service and there will be no obituary per his wishes, probably the oldest CBrat!

Regards to all!
Charlie Vinroot
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May Dusty Rest In Peace. We all have been blessed to have known him, and had his wise council during the years of C Dory ownership. Our prayers to his family.
 
Lester "Dusty" Lampman, a Mustang, a true American hero.
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Condolences to his family and friends

Rest In Peace

Dusty has found eternal rest.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Revelation 21:4 NIV

Isaiah 43:2 ESV
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
 
We were some of the C-Brats privileged to know Capt. Lester Lampman, U.S. Navy, aka "Dusty." We first met him in 2003 at Swantown Marina in Olympia when both Daydream and Dusty's Tomcat 24 C-Salt were being christened.

Dusty told me he got his nickname because his job at the end of WWII was closing down Navy bases. They said of him "When Lampman leaves, there is nothing but blood and sawdust." True story.

In 2006, in a moment of weakness, we had put money down on a 25 C-Ranger (which of course soon became the Ranger 25, but that is a whole other story) at the Seattle Boat Show. Dusty invited us up for breakfast at the Farmhouse Inn on Hwy 20 in Anacortes. He said he and Les had tested the first Ranger, and wanted us to know that it would not do what the promotional brochures were promising, and that it was woefully underpowered with the 85 hp diesel engine. He said go ahead if we could be happy at 7 knots, but not if we were expecting more. We thanked him, and called Jeff Messmer, who by that time had left C-Dory and was working for the Livingtons at Ranger. Jeff told us it was no problem, and refunded our deposit.

Dusty was one of a kind for sure, and he will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, Dusty!

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Will Geise (Da Nag), Les, Jr. and Dusty

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Toasting Dusty and C-Salt (Dusty standing in doorway, Patty in red jacket)


 
Another from the greatest generation now gone. I never had the pleasure of meeting or talking with Dusty, but sure enjoyed & benefited from his C-Brat post. Rest in peace old Warrior.

Jay
 
I have lots of great memories of Dusty, as do my granddaughters to whom he was so very kind.

He was a great man and a wonderful person.

Mike
 
I never met Dusty in person, but we chatted many times, first on CDogs and then here with the CBrats. I learned a lot from him. If I remember correctly, he was a NAP (enlisted) pilot who then received a commission.

I am sorry to learn of his passing.
 
I had the good fortune to know Dusty through the C-Brats and through his son Les formerly at EQ Marine. Whenever I had my boat at EQ (at least once a year) I made a point of visiting with Les. Les had a number of great stories to tell - both from his time in the Navy and his life thereafter. I wish that I would have taken the time to visit Les once a week and record his stories. It would make a great book. Dusty also gave me a number of good tips on fishing and shrimping and gave up some of his better shrimping spots in the San Juan Islands.

In 2015, during the Seattle Boat show weekend, I, Joe Doerring and Charlie Vinroot went up to meet Dusty for lunch. At that point he was still physically strong but the memory was starting to go. We enjoyed our meal at the BBQ joint in Oak Harbor and it was clear everyone at the restaurant knew and loved Dusty. A photo from that day is below.

Dusty and I shared a birthday - Feb 13th - and a number of years ago he promised me an invite to his 100th birthday party. Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it to that date. He was a great man and a wonderful human.

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Smooth sailing Dusty. Another of the ever fewer greatest generation is gone. Dusty's personal stories were awe inspiring. Taking over from a Canal pilot when the pilot was about to crash Dusty's aircraft carrier into the side of the panama canal, being shot down during WWII with (I think) Paul Newman as his rear gunner, hunting NAZI spies in South America before WWII, et. etc. I am sad to hear of his death.
 
colobear":3mfyr5b0 said:
Smooth sailing Dusty. Another of the ever fewer greatest generation is gone. Dusty's personal stories were awe inspiring. Taking over from a Canal pilot when the pilot was about to crash Dusty's aircraft carrier into the side of the panama canal, being shot down during WWII with (I think) Paul Newman as his rear gunner, hunting **** spies in South America before WWII, et. etc. I am sad to hear of his death.
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LOL - don't tease us, how about the longer version of those stories.
 
I only had the privilege of meeting Dusty one time, during a stop at EQ to visit with Les about some wiring issues. Power boats with electronics and batteries were new to me and Les was tied up on the phone so I got to chat with dusty for a while. I didn't know who he was at the time, and as we chatted, I got the feeling this was a wise and humble man. Then I learned he was Les' father and got to hear some of his story from Les and Cathy later. What a privilege to have met him, and what gentleman and hero. This world needs more like him and we should be half the person he was.

RIP Dusty, and Thank you for sharing.

Prayers for the family. (And I would have loved to see that obituary).

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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I sure enjoyed the moments I was fortunate to have with Les Sr. I met him in 2002 at EQ and like Pat and others, watched his new boat being christened at the Swantown rendezvous. He'd seen so much, and done so many things in his lifetime that I'd routinely eavesdrop on conversations about the navy, politics, boats, engines, the world, and more. He was Sawdust back then, and I think Tyboo started calling him Dusty, which stuck. Once Les recalled an event I believe just after the Bay of Pigs--maybe '62--when patrolling off Cuba he spotted what looked like odd, moving debris. Turned out to be two young people in a decrepit raft, clinging to life. The brother and sister were attempting to reach America. Rescued by Les' men, the kids grew to thrive and became lifelong friends with Les, and as you might imagine, deeply grateful. He was tough, but had a big heart.
I was very fortunate to have known Les Lampman Sr., and I offer my condolences to his wife and family.
 
I hope everyone has learned a little about Dusty from this thread. He was an honest American hero, and so modest that you would never know just talking to him. And he was an optimist! Buying a new boat at 84 in 2003? Lots of 84 year olds don't even buy green bananas! He was one of a kind, and will be missed greatly.
 
Pat Anderson":2d9uuc6d said:
I hope everyone has learned a little about Dusty from this thread. He was an honest American hero, and so modest that you would never know just talking to him. And he was an optimist! Buying a new boat at 84 in 2003? Lots of 84 year olds don't even buy green bananas! He was one of a kind, and will be missed greatly.
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Pat, You are so right. I wish I had known him better. The kind of guy a hero should be.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
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