John William Lambrecht, age 51, of Minneapolis, Minnesota passed away on Saturday, November 18, 2023 from a relentlessly aggressive form of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) with frontotemporal dementia.
John was born on December 26, 1971 in St. Paul, Minnesota to Jack and Marilyn Lambrecht. He attended Central High School in St. Paul, college at Mankato State University, and graduate school at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although tempted by the warm and humid weather of the south, John returned to the Twin Cities where he spent 14 years working for the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. Following his time at the CVB, John worked in a variety of sales positions until he found that being a baseball umpire and volleyball referee provided him with countless opportunities to combine his love of sports and people.
Almost always the tallest person in the room, John was easy to pick out in a crowd. However, his even bigger smile and welcoming nature were what truly made him memorable. John thrived on the energy of being with others and was in his element when surrounded by people. Although ALS took away his ability to speak fairly early in the disease process, he never let it stop him from filling his calendar with coffee, drinks, or dinner with those he loved. He particularly enjoyed inviting friends over for a meal centered around whatever cut of meat he was grilling on the back deck while sipping a good scotch or craft beer on the front deck.
John was exceptionally skilled at creating and maintaining connections throughout his life. He had the ability to turn casual acquaintances into friends before the end of the first encounter. John loved having things to look forward to and made a point to have the next dinner date or visit scheduled before leaving the current one.
John was able to fulfill a long-time dream of being a Minnesota Twins season ticket holder in 2023, a fact that he proudly shared with nearly everyone he came into contact with before, during, and after baseball season. He firmly believed that his lucky Twins polo shirt made a difference and he was able to see the Twins end their playoff losing streak from the Delta Sky Club in October.
John is preceded in passing by his parents and grandparents. He is survived by his wife, Lynsay Lambrecht; step-children, Elissa (18), Oliver (16) and Lucy (14) Thill; his sister, Carrie Lambrecht, and brother-in-law, Justin Chun; his nephew, David Hinton and many other family members, neighbors and friends who he considered family.
In lieu of a memorial service, a gathering was held on November 11th, prior to his passing.
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