Philip Lamb

Philip D. Lamb, 78, passed away peacefully on December 1, 2021, while visiting his family in Pocatello, Idaho. For many years Mr. Lamb was a resident of the North Fork Highway near Yellowstone National Park, where he and his wife, Joan Lamb, owned and operated the Elephant Head Lodge.

Mr. Lamb loved the wilderness of the Cody, Wyoming area, including the Wapiti Valley, Absaroka-Beartooth, and Shoshone Wilderness areas. He was a friend to and was befriended by many employees and residents in the area.

He met his wife of 56-years, Joan Kottwitz, while working in Hastings, Nebraska where his parents taught at Hastings College.

Lamb held his children and grandchildren close to his heart. He and Joan raised two children at Elephant Head Lodge, Dr. Gretchen Lamb, now a Professor of Veterinary Technology at Colorado Mountain College, and Ms. Nicole Lamb, a Certified Nurse Midwife in Pocatello, Idaho. Nicole's children are Sierra Markley and Devin Markley. He also added much joy to the lives of brothers Roger, Steve, and their families as they shared adventures at the lodge.

Mr. Lamb had a deep interest in American governance and its history. He taught subjects in government and political science at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming.

He was also a writer of two books, "Yellowstone Venture" his often humorous and eminently readable account of settling into the wilderness and running the Elephant Head Lodge. His second book, "For The Good Of The Country," was a political thriller about implementing the 25th Amendment that still resonates today.

He is deeply missed by his family and all those who knew him well – a great sense of humor, adventure, yet a man of principle.

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