When news came that Sister Betty Lamb, O.P., had died Sept. 19 at Maria Regina Convent in Brentwood, it was not unexpected. She was 84 and had been sick for some time, suffering from a form of dementia. She wasn’t the Betty Lamb we knew when she joined The Tablet staff in 1972.
Instantaneously, she became the life of the office. What had been a pretty serene, sedate work environment quickly became a very sociable, lively place.
She came with a great talent in photography and design.  And she was quite generous in sharing her knowledge and talent with the rest of us on the editorial staff. Take a look at any issue of The Tablet in the 1970s and any artistically designed layout was probably executed by Betty.
She was not only a co-worker but a friend.  So, it was only natural that she would invite the staff to her convent — Harbor of Grace, College Point – for dinner and then a basketball game between the sisters and Tablet staff.  The Sisters had a strange way of scoring.  Every time we made a basket, we got two points and they got three.
Sister Betty became acquainted with the Dominican Sisters at Corpus Christi School, Mineola.  After graduating from the Juniorate, she entered the congregation on Feb. 2, 1945.  On Aug. 6, she received the habit and her religious name Sister Mary Malachy.
From 1946 to 1960, she taught in the elementary schools of St. Catherine of Siena, St. Albans; St. John, Riverhead; and St. Clement, Ozone Park. She moved to the secondary level from 1960-1971 in St. Michael, Brooklyn; St. Agnes, Rockville Centre; and St. Agnes, College Point, where she was principal.
After her work at The Tablet, her career in journalism took her into public relations for the Dominicans where she documented their life and work in photos and the newsletter, “Contact.”  Then she was hired as the media director of the Society of African Missions in Tenafly, N.J., 1985-1991.
Despite failing health, her joyous personality continued to radiate when she moved to St. Albert Hall, Amityville, in 1998, and later in Carlin Hall in 2002, and then Maria Regina Convent, Brentwood. It is reported that she never lost the talent of reaching out to others in need. Once, when a Sister was upset about her change to Carlin Hall, Betty placed her hands in Sister’s and said, “This is a nice place. You’ll be happy here.” And despite her own weakness, she took Sister under her wing.
Sister Betty is survived by her brother Richard and his wife Rosalie, of Amityville, and many nieces and nephews.  The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Sept. 23.  Interment followed in the Sisters’ Cemetery in Amityville.
***   ***   ***
A relic of St. Damien of Molokai, revered for his ministry among the victims of Hansen’s disease (leprosy) in Hawaii, will be available for public veneration in the Brooklyn Diocese on three occasions in November:
• Friday, Nov. 4, 7-10 p.m., St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn;
• Sunday, Nov. 6, 1:30 p.m., St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, Jamaica; and
• Sunday, Nov. 13, 2-5 p.m., Queen of Peace Residence, Queens Village.