Jack Clark Lamberton

Jack Clark Lamberton December 27, 1946 – May 1, 2026 Jack Clark Lamberton passed away on May 1, 2026, after a struggle with Parkinson’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and complications from a serious fall earlier in the year. He was 79 years old. Born in Park City, Utah, Jack moved to Los Angeles as an infant and became part of the first generation of students at California School for the Deaf, Riverside when it opened in 1953, after briefly attending CSD in Berkeley. Jack also starred in the 1965 film Silent Crisis, an early marker of his love of ASL storytelling, and then graduated from CSD Riverside in 1966. Those early years gave rise to a lifelong commitment to the Deaf community, education, sports, and service. In 1963, Jack met the love of his life, Judith “Juddie” Lamberton, after she moved from Illinois to Southern California. They became a couple soon after and married in 1970, building a life together filled with love, adventure, partnership, and shared purpose for more than six decades. Jack graduated from Gallaudet College, where he served as President of the Student Body Government, in 1970 with a degree in mathematics and went on to work for IBM as a computer programmer, something he had dreamed about since high school. Starting in New York and eventually transferring to the IBM Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose, he spent 23 years with the company working on software development on mainframes using the assembly programming language, and later rising to the managerial level. As a Deaf professional in a largely hearing industry, he quietly opened doors and set an example for others. After taking an early retirement from IBM, Jack began a second career at California School for the Deaf, Fremont, where he spent 22 years as an educational technology resource specialist. He coached the school’s Academic Bowl team to two national championships, briefly coached football, and faithfully served on the chain gang at football games for many years. He cared deeply about Deaf youth and loved encouraging students to grow and succeed. For several years, Jack served on the executive board of DCARA, the advocacy group for the Deaf community in northern California. Sports and recreation were lifelong passions for Jack. As a young boy, he loved riding motorcycles with his father Red, cruising the roads of different parts of California with other Deaf motorcyclists. In his school years, he played football, basketball, and baseball. Throughout his life he enjoyed chess, racquetball, pickleball, and softball leagues. He would gladly banter with anyone about the 49ers, Warriors, SF Giants, and Dodgers, his favorite teams. Jack loved going camping, taking his family to Pismo Beach, Yosemite and other national parks, often with other Deaf families and their children, nurturing lifelong friendships between those children, and enjoyed RV trips in his later years. But his greatest athletic passion became cycling. He was an original member of the California Deaf Wheelers and found tremendous joy riding with his cycling friends. Jack’s involvement in Deaf sports became one of the defining parts of his life. Through his work with the USA Deaf Sports Federation (formerly AAAD) and the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (formerly CISS), he helped support generations of Deaf athletes around the world. He served as President of USADSF and later as Vice President for Youth Sports for ICSD, as well as serving on the executive board of the Deaf International Football Association. He was also involved with the Pan American Deaf Sports Organization (PANAMDES) and helped organize the World Deaf Cycling Championships. Over the years, he attended numerous Deaflympics as a fan, committee member, leader, and executive. Through Deaf sports, Jack and Juddie traveled to scores of countries together, forming lifelong friendships and creating treasured memories around the world. Above all, Jack was a devoted husband, father, mentor, and friend. He loved woodworking and home projects, especially after he and Juddie returned to Riverside in 2019. One of his final woodworking projects was building a table from reclaimed American Chestnut wood alongside his son Jason. He found happiness in creating things with his hands, mentoring others, traveling, and simply spending time with the people he loved. Jack is survived by his beloved wife Judith Lamberton; his sons Jonathan and Jason Lamberton; and countless friends, relatives, colleagues, athletes, students, and community members whose lives he touched. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry Charles "Red" Lamberton and Beverly Eyrich, and his sister Gina Lamberton. Jack leaves behind a legacy of service, humility, curiosity, leadership, and love. He will be deeply missed by many. A memorial service will be held on May 31, 2026 at California School for the Deaf, Riverside, and streamed online so that friends and loved ones from around the world could attend.

Jack Clark Lamberton

December 27, 1946 - May 1, 2026