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The 48-year-old New York resident, from Long Island's Deer Park, died Monday, Oct. 7, while trying to save a young boy and his mother in the waters of Bermuda.
Lambros was enjoying a family vacation at Horseshoe Bay Beach when he noticed the 10-year-old boy struggling and went in after him, his friend, Chris Pompeo, said on Facebook. The child and his mother survived, but Lambros drowned.
“In his final moments, Jamie showed the courage and selflessness that those who knew him will always remember,” relatives said on a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral expenses. “He died a hero, giving his life so another could live.”
Lambros’ actions that day weren’t surprising to those who knew him.
“That is the Jamie I knew for 30 years and will always remember,” Pompeo said on Facebook. “When I went through a difficult time in my life many years ago Jamie was one of the first ones there lending a helping hand and helping me back on my feet.”
In addition to immense grief, Lambros’s family is angry that there were no lifeguards on the beach and that tourists weren’t warned about the dangerous conditions.
“There’s no rescue skis, there’s no emergency teams that’s gonna get there in time,” his mother Phyllis Gasparri told ABC7.
“We want change. We want tourists to be safe,” his brother, Joey Pappas, told the outlet. “We never want anyone else to feel this pain ever.”
On GoFundMe, loved ones remembered Lambros as so much more than a son, brother, uncle, cousin, godfather, and friend.
“He was the life of every party, someone whose laughter filled any room, and whose heart was as big as his spirit. His loss leaves an unimaginable void in all our lives.”
Funeral services are scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at Branch Funeral Homes in Commack.
As of Friday, Oct. 18, the GoFundMe had raised over $38,000. Those who wish to donate can do so here.
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