Dr. William "Bill" Arnold Lambeth III

Dr. William (Bill) Arnold Lambeth III passed away peacefully on November 19, 2024, at a private assisted living home in North Raleigh. Born on February 22, 1945, Bill was the son of Dr. William A. Lambeth Jr. and Julia Gennett Lambeth of Winston-Salem, NC.

Reared in Winston-Salem, Bill graduated from RJ Reynolds High School in 1963. He subsequently attended The University of the South (Sewanee), graduating in 1967 with a BA in English Literature with Honors . Following graduation from Sewanee, Bill earned his MD degree at UNC—Chapel Hill in 1971. Medicine was his true calling, as Bill graduated 2nd in his medical school class and was one of three juniors inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

After graduating from medical school, Bill enlisted in the US Army Reserve during the Vietnam war. He completed two years as a flight surgeon (Major) at Fort Eustis in Newport News, VA, earning an Honorable Discharge in 1975.

Following his service in the US Army Reserve, Bill resumed his medical education at several prestigious institutions. He began his General Surgery Residency at Duke University Medical Center in 1975 and concluded his final three years of residency at George Washington University. Bill completed a Hand Surgery Fellowship at the University of Louisville and finalized his Plastic and Reconstructive Fellowship at Duke University. In 1981, he became a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Bill was a partner of Raleigh Plastic Surgery Center in Raleigh and practiced there for twenty-eight years. In 2010, he started his own private practice—Lambeth Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics, operating until retirement in 2015. Both peers and patients regarded Bill as an exceptionally talented surgeon with specialized expertise in numerous cosmetic and reconstruction procedures. He was an accomplished medical author and member of multiple regional and national plastic surgery societies and organizations; including the past President of the North Carolina Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.

Bill was an avid sportsman who loved to hunt, fish and boat. In addition to his love of the outdoors, he had a passion for learning history and was a voracious reader of all things history throughout civilization. In his later years, Bill considered himself a gourmet chef and relished the approval of his dearly loved wife, Diane, on his culinary feats. Bill was an intelligent, driven, Type A, hard charging man that lived life to the absolute fullest. In contrast, he also had a very compassionate, tender and affable side, particularly with patients, females and his cherished grandson, Lock. He was committed to community service and was a former President of the Rotary Club of Raleigh, a member of Royster Medical Society, The Sphinx Club of Raleigh and a member of Christ Church.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Diane Elkins Lambeth and his twin children, William Alexis Lambeth of Raleigh, NC and Edison Tate Lambeth of Dallas, TX; his brother Carter Tate Lambeth and his wife, Janie, of Wilmington NC; his sister Evelyn Julia (Judy) Lambeth and her husband, Jerry McAfee, of Winston-Salem, NC; his brother Nathaniel Gennett Lambeth and his wife, Elaine, of Youngsville, NC; his grandson Lockwood “Lock” Elkins Lambeth of Dallas, TX.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 2:00 PM at Christ Church, 120 E Edenton St, Raleigh. The family will receive friends following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Christ Church, Rotary Club of Raleigh or Ducks Unlimited—Raleigh Chapter.

Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary’s Street, Raleigh, is serving the Lambeth family.