Before leaving they received the greatest gift that a family could receive. An American missionary told them about Jesus and they received the gift of eternal life. They left a life of material wealth and arrived in the United States with little of this world’s goods, but as victorious children of the King of Kings!
Shortly after settling in New York City their fifth child was born and they named him Constantine George Lambrides, called Gus for short. Gus was raised in a family that loved Jesus, but he decided he wanted to be different. He was determined to spell success, M-O-N-E-Y! He graduated from college, became a CPA, and then made partner in his accounting firm. He married a beautiful girl named Martha and they soon started a family. One day a successful friend of his invited him to go to a Christian Business Man’s luncheon. It was there that God grabbed him by the heart. Gus surrendered his life to the Lord and forever after spelled success J-E-S-U-S.
In the Lambrides household it was a treasured, consistent occurrence for us to wake up to the sound of dad’s voice saying, “Rise and shine. This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad!” Then we would hear him singing, “Heavenly Sunshine." Singing praises to the Lord around our household was a common thing.
Growing up, I was always hearing about my dad from people who did business with him. The one thing I heard most often was that Gus was a man of integrity. He was always the same, regardless of the company he kept. You could count on him. When you were with him, his focus was always on you and never on himself.
My uncle was dad’s partner in their accounting firm of Lambrides and Lambrides. Nick was 14 years older than dad and was his mentor. They had an agreement that if anything were to happen to either of them that the other would take care of their widow for the rest of her life. Uncle Nick died suddenly at the age of 64 and unknown to the rest of the family dad sent a check to my aunt every month until her death at more than ninety years old.
His life was marked by joy, praise, consistency and total trust in his Savior. It was a good life with many good gifts but not lacking in life’s challenges and struggles. Trials came in many forms: challenges in parenting, difficult business decisions, his wife's ailing health, and he even endured the kidnapping of his grandchildren, but he weathered every storm as God's faithful servant. Through every situation he always said that God was sovereign and chose to trust in him and his faithfulness.
My mom was diagnosed with MS when she was in her fifties. Soon after, we found out she also had cancer! Dad used every opportunity to share his faith with her doctors, always standing firm and trusting that his God was the Great Physician and capable of healing even when medical science could not. To the shock of the medical community, God did heal my mom of the multiple sclerosis.
But in January of 1984, the Lord called Martha home to heaven. Four months later, my dad came to visit us in Indianapolis. I introduced my dad to Marty Berns, who was the teaching leader of Bible Study Fellowship, and a widow. Within a week they were engaged and were married that July. When asked, “Why so quickly?”, he responded, “When you are our age and you know it is God’s will, why wait?” After that, he was often heard saying: “Jesus loves Martha and so do I”.
They became and team and the Lambrides and Berns became a family. Gus was now Dad, Pop, Grandpa or Popu to many who loved him and he loved all of them! With Martha, Gus brought Athena Lambrides Siddiqui, then me, Elaine Lambrides Eriksen, and a younger brother George Harry Lambrides. When Marty joined our family, we gained Don Berns, Kathy Berns Albrechtson, Sally Berns John, and Peggy Berns Mindrebo. Dad always referred to Marty's kids as "our" Peggy, Sally, Kathy or Don. There are seven of us who call ourselves Gus's children, who now range in age from 53 to 70. There are 21 grandchildren and at least 21 great grandchildren!
Gus and Marty came to College Park and quickly gave of their time, talents and treasures to their beloved church. People jokingly referred to Gus as the Mayor of College Park Church because he loved to greet people and call everyone by name. He genuinely believed that you cannot show someone that you love them if you don’t remember their name.
After nearly twenty years of marriage, God chose to call Marty home to heaven. Gus lived for another four years. The morning of Gus’s homegoing, when Pete and I met with the nurse where he lived at Zionsville Meadows, we were told that she had never met a more gracious and gentle man in her whole nursing career. Every night at bedtime he would pray with her and thank her and remind her of God’s goodness.
Gus often told his children, “In everything you do, do it all to the glory of God” and that is the way he lived his life.
He lived 93 years. I am proud to call Gus Lambrides my daddy.”
Elaine Eriksen
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