Memorial held for teacher killed in Bend school shooting

BEND Ore. (KPTV) - Through tears, Megan Lambert’s closest friends spoke at her memorial Saturday — sharing what made the 25-year-old special.

“Being loved by her was like soaking in the sun on a chilly day. Just the most warm, comforting feeling possible,” Lambert’s friend Somer Eckert said. “Nothing I tell anyone about Megan feels like enough because nothing I say can convey the feeling of being cheered on by her or truly explain the depth of her care for other people.”

Lambert was one of four victims, and the only adult, killed in the mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend on the 15th. She worked as a special education teacher.

“While this was her first year in her own classroom, Megan had been a teacher for a long time,” Eckert said. “There was something in her that made her a teacher.”

Lambert was a central Oregon native. She graduated from Mountain View High School in 2019 and Boise State University in 2023. Andy Young, Lambert’s high school chemistry teacher, said she was a natural leader who did her job with joy, happiness and patience.

“She was extremely stoked to have her first full-time teaching job at a school where she had subbed for a significant amount of time and knew a lot of the students by name,” Young said.

Eckert said Megan was an amazing teacher.

“The impact she had on her students will continue to ripple out and out as they grow up and change the world in their own way,” she said.

Besides teaching, Lambert’s loved ones said she enjoyed traveling, going to concerts and reading. They called her a spark of joy who lived life to the fullest.

“I wish so badly that you got to be a part of the next chapters of all of our live,” Lambert’s best friend Logan Betts said. “For the weddings that haven’t happened yet. For the babies that haven’t been born. For the trips that we didn’t get to take, and the books that didn’t get finished.”

As they continue on without her, Lambert’s friends vowed to keep her name and passion alive.

“I’ll look for you in the sunsets,” Betts said. “Love you.”

Lambert’s family set up a foundation in her name. Any gift will go toward causes that reflect her values and passions. Those include education, mental health, services for children with special needs and Oregon schools.