James Mercer Lamb

James Mercer Lamb, 81, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away on December 27, 2025. He was born on June 13, 1944, at St. Mary's Hospital in Enid, Oklahoma, to Fenton and Joan Lamb.

Jim grew up in Wagoner, Oklahoma. His mother, Joan, died a few days prior to his 10th birthday. His father, Fenton, married Wilma Lee Perry the following year, and they blended their families together. Fenton adopted Lee's daughter, Suzanne, and Lee adopted Jim. Both Sue and Jim said that they found the sibling they always wanted at the time they needed each other most.

After graduating from Wagoner High School in 1962, he attended the University of Oklahoma as a member of one of the original President's Leadership classes. He joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity as a legacy with his father and uncle, Mercer Lamb, coming before him. He loved being an SAE, and stayed involved through much of his life as an alumni board member.

Jim met his wife, Patricia Kiblinger, when he was a senior and she was a sophomore at OU. After Jim graduated with a degree in finance, they were married in Dallas, Texas, on June 6, 1966. They then moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he participated in the officer training program of the First National Bank of Hawaii, working in all departments and branches of the bank. They returned to the mainland so that Patricia could finish her degree at OU. After Patricia graduated, they moved to Denver, Colorado, where Jim was the sales manager and product manager of Communications magazine. They moved back to Tulsa when Jim was recruited by the U.S. Jaycees as editor of Future, the Jaycees' national monthly magazine. After leaving the Jaycees, Jim went into advertising and public relations, eventually becoming the vice president of the public relations division of Ackerman Incorporated. While at Ackerman, he decided to go to The University of Tulsa Law School. Once he started law school, he took a position with University Relations at TU. After Jim graduated from TU, he practiced law for the rest of his life. First, he specialized in oil and gas law, and then, following the oil bust in the early 1980s, moved to personal injury law. Later in life, he expanded into a general practice.

Both Jim's birth mother and his adopted mother were pianists, and they passed on their love of music to Jim. He studied piano from a very young age, and was an accomplished pianist. He had a lovely singing voice and sang wherever and whenever he could. He learned to play guitar, ukulele, and then finally banjo. He whistled beautifully, and whistled so much as a child that neighbors took to calling Joan, "Whistler's Mother."

Jim had a passionate love of food, and spent long hours in the kitchen cooking up his latest gustatory delight. He loved to travel, always eager to experience new places and meet new people. Hawaii, Colorado, and Northern California were his favorite travel destinations, and he returned to them as often as he could. He loved to snow ski, and was a committed OU football fan. The fortunes of the team often determined the course of his day, much to the chagrin of his wife and children. As a young man, he enjoyed golfing and taught both of his children the game. He coached numerous soccer, baseball, and football teams as his children played those sports. He mentored the students at the SAE chapter in Norman as an alumni advisor, building lifelong friendships. Both sides of his family were primarily Irish and Scottish, and he enjoyed learning about his family's Celtic history. Jim loved talking to folks, and he never met a stranger.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Joan, Fenton, and Lee Lamb. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Patricia, his children, Kelly Lamb and Colin Lamb (Ashley), his grandchildren, Juniper, Beila, Fiona, Eliza, and Oliver, his sister, Sue Johannes (Dick), as well as a host of other loving relatives. His legacy will live on through his family as well as the many lives he touched personally and professionally.

Service information will be forthcoming.