On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of friends, family and local Bend residents gathered at Caldera High School to celebrate the life and legacy of Megan Lambert — the 25-year-old schoolteacher who was killed in a school shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School.

Her colleagues and friends held back tears as they comforted each other and shared memories of Lambert. She was shot in a special education classroom and killed alongside three other young students.

Andy Young, a colleague who was also her high school chemistry teacher, described Lambert as a “spark of joy”, boisterous, gregarious, and kind, and as a charismatic leader people were drawn to.

Lambert grew up in Bend and attended schools in the Bend-La Pine Schools before leaving for Boise, Idaho, to attend college. After graduating in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, she spent half a year abroad in Barcelona to earn her certification to teach English in Spain. She returned to Bend, where she worked as a substitute teacher in her hometown district before spending this past year teaching full-time at Silver Rail.

“Her no-nonsense yet loving approach reached kids academically and let them know they mattered personally,” said Somer Eckert, who spoke at the memorial service. Eckert had spent two summers with Lambert working at R.A.D. Camps, an outdoor arts program for youth, and had started a book club with Lambert and two other friends.

“She deserved to inspire so many more kids, and I wish the world had gotten more of that impact,” Eckert said.

R.A.D. Camps owner Chance Caruso said when he met Lambert two years ago, there weren’t openings on his team. But after grabbing coffee with Lambert and seeing her passion for youth programming, Caruso hired her almost immediately.

“Megan was the first person to show up at work in the morning,” Caruso said. He said Lambert would often stay so late that she would accidentally trigger the building alarm when she would end her work day. “She was the last person to leave every single day.”

People talked about Lambert’s generosity and her passion for helping students. Her family told OPB that in Lambert’s first year as a volleyball coach at the Central Oregon Volleyball Club, she turned down her own pay to help low-income families afford the club fees. The volleyball club has raised over $23,000 on GoFundMe to create a scholarship in Lambert’s memory.

Half a dozen of Lambert’s friends she met in Spain about two years ago flew from as far as Canada and Australia to attend her celebration of life.

“She wasn’t the first person I met in Barcelona, but she was one of the first people that made me feel like my choice to go to Barcelona was worth it,” said Esther Duka, who met Lambert in Spain.

At the end of the service, a slideshow showing Lambert’s various adventures played on screen to the lullaby “You Are My Sunshine.”

“Love is worth it. Knowing someone this special is worth it,” Duka said to the grieving audience. “As long as there is love to give in the world, there must always be grief because it’s love’s natural continuation.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/25/hundreds-attend-memorial-service-for-teacher-killed-in-silver-rail-shooting/