Louesta Leah Dyer

Louesta Leah (Lamb) Dyer was born on the family farm in Wilson, Oklahoma on July 24, 1927. She was the eldest daughter of Elmer and Mentie Lamb. Louesta, affectionately known as “Lou,” had wonderful memories of growing up on the farm with her two younger sisters, Frances and Patricia. These early years of growing up in rural Oklahoma molded who she was as an adult, valuing family and community as foundational. The memory of her family and both her grandparents all living within a mile of each other would bring a smile to her face. Her love for tending the earth with plants, flowers, vegetables, and fruits most likely began there.

 In 1942, the Lamb family relocated to San Diego, California. This was the “Dust Bowl” era and war torn years and life was hard in Oklahoma. Elmer left first and found work at Convair, an industrial defense contractor. Mentie soon followed and closed up the house, packed up what they needed and drove to San Diego with Lou and her sisters to start a new life. This was quite a change from farm life in rural Oklahoma. Louesta completed her last two years of high school at Hoover High, graduating in 1944 at the age of 16. She began working at the State Theater as an usherette and ticket seller and moved to the Loma Theater when it opened in 1945. While working there, a friend suggested that Lou go on a “blind date” where she met Marshall Dyer in 1947, and would marry in 1948. Marshall convinced her to enroll at San Diego State College while he was finishing up his degree and it was then he realized he had married someone who was most likely “smarter” than he was. “Marsh and Lou” shared 57 years together until his death in 2005 and raised three children – Jeff, Melinda and Gregory. They bought their first home in La Mesa when Jeff was two, a second home in Spring Valley where Melinda and Greg were born, and in 1968, they moved to their final beloved home on Mt. Helix in La Mesa where they met so many wonderful friends. 

After the kids “left home” and her husband finally retired, some of her fondest memories were traveling and planning trips with family and friends. Extensively traveling around the U.S. and Canada, numerous trips to New York City and London with quite a few trips abroad mainly to the U.K. and Europe.

 Louesta was a devoted wife and mother, and she was active at Foothills United Methodist Church, where she was a past president of United Methodist Women, many church committees and a member of the choir for many years. Lou was an excellent seamstress, and she used her talents to teach sewing to the young women at Las Colinas Detention Facility, as well as Melinda’s 4H group. She also made all four bridesmaids dresses for Melinda’s wedding. She was active in Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, Helix Unit for quite some time, and participated in many fundraisers for Children’s Hospital. Lou was a fine bridge player and had monthly bridge luncheons right up to her last years with what affectionally became known as “the bridge ladies.” Louesta was, besides so many activities, a voracious reader. She tracked her books in journal after journal, reviewing her remarks from time to time and re-read some of her favorites for a second or third time. She enjoyed some of the same books that her grand kids would recommend which delighted her in her words “to no end.” She also volunteered at the San Diego County Library in Casa de Oro for many years so she could discover a few more good books, further enjoying people and community.

Due to her farming roots, Lou was an amazing gardener. She made the best of San Diego weather, somehow finding time to till a small plot in the backyard for a vegetable garden. “Nothing better than a fresh tomato!” She had a spectacular “perennial” garden at her Mt. Helix home, which was featured one year on a local garden tour. She once said that her flowers gave her such joy and solace. There was nothing she liked more than being out in her garden, carefully tending each new day lily, iris, or planting new bulbs. She loved to cook all the family meals and host family gatherings for the holidays and special occasions. Her family and friends enjoyed many fabulous meals prepared by Lou over the years, and she also “canned” her own olives, okra, tomatoes, and many varieties of jams and preserves. Lou was also a talented crafter, and her family and friends have been the recipients of many beautiful hand-made items over the years. She especially enjoyed making Christmas ornaments and decorating her beautiful tree.

Lou recently said that the greatest joy of her life was her three kids. She was an amazing mom, grandmother and recently, great grandmother. She will be remembered for her sharp intellect, an insatiable thirst for knowledge combined with a sense of wonder and curiosity, and her deep love for family and friends. As Lou said numerous times recently, “I’ve had a wonderful life!” She is survived by her three children – Jeff (Dianne), Melinda (David) and Gregory (Lisa), her grandchildren Jordan (Thorey), Kyra (Keegan), Trevor, Cassidy, and Morgan, and four great grandchildren, Ossa, Loa, Nico and Marko.