Rob and Emily Raleigh

Carol Nellie Mae Blomberg was born April 19, 1930 in Chisago County, Minnesota to Albert and Helen (Hallberg) Blomberg. She grew up in the Dale area where she attended country school through eighth grade and went on to graduate from North Branch High School in 1948. The day after graduation, Nellie moved to Minneapolis and began working as a secretary.

On September 30, 1950 she was united in marriage to Robert Lambert at Nellie's home church, Fish Lake Lutheran Church in Stark. They made their home in South Minneapolis from 1950 to 1972 where they raised their three children Dean, Debra, and Diane. Robert and Nellie purchased a 40 acre farm near Rush Point and lived there until 1999, working with dairy cows and enjoying country life.

Nellie worked as a secretary at Central Lumber until shortly after the birth of her third child. She then did daycare and later was a banquet waitress at the Thunderbird Motel. As her children grew, she returned to full time secretarial work at International Homes and Aetna Insurance from which she retired in July of 1992.

Nellie enjoyed music; she sang with her sister Lorraine in the Morris Park Mother Singers and was the pianist for the Morris Park Players (Father Singers), a community musical theater group she and Robert were actively involved in. In 1974 they joined Calvary Lutheran Church where Nellie was choir director and organist for many years, and helped out with music for Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.

She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, gardening, baking bread and pies, and making jelly. The longer Nellie was on the farm the more she connected with her roots, doing things she remembered her mother doing.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert, brothers Dean and Charles Blomberg, sisters LaVonne Anderson and Arlene LaClair.

Nellie is survived by her son Dean and wife Kristen Lambert of Minneapolis, daughters Debra and husband Craig Sanders of Duluth, Diane and husband Roger Woods of Inver Grove Heights, 6 grandchildren Emily and husband Robert Raleigh of Saint Paul, Peter Sanders of New Brighton, Timothy Sanders of Duluth, Patrick, Kyle, and Andrew Woods of Inver Grove Heights, sisters Lorraine Pierson of San Diego, CA, Shirly and husband Ronald Kranz of Pine City, as well as many other relatives and friends.