Memorial
Reneè K. (Yeisley) Lamb, one day shy of turning 61, passed away Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids after years of battling multiple medical problems. A Celebration of Life will be held Monday, October 26, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Cedar Memorial Park in the Chapel of Memories.
Reneè was born on October 22, 1965, to James “Jim” and Helen (Flynn) Yeisley in Cedar Rapids. She was the youngest of four siblings, and you would know it just by the way she was 99.98% of the time. From what I have been told, she was always full of sass, attitude, and spitfire, and you could always expect her to keep you on your toes. Safe to say, that continued until she took her final breath. I would tell some of the milder stories to friends, and they just couldn’t believe she actually did things like that. Just looking at her, she seemed so sweet, quiet, shy, and innocent—which she could be as well—but don’t let her fool you. She was also the most kindhearted, loving, genuine person you could ever meet and would always put everyone else before herself. Anyone would consider themselves lucky and forever grateful to know her and have her in their lives. She was funny, spunky, caring, feisty, and everything else in between.
Reneè graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids in the spring of 1984. In January 1986, she married David Dawson. Ten years later, they welcomed a daughter, and they later divorced. She loved her daughter so much. She was her whole world, would move heaven and earth for her, and was oh so very proud of the woman she has become. Her daughter was the greatest joy of her life, and Reneè did everything in her power for her. She loved being a mom, and it shined through every moment of every day. She was the best mom anyone could ever ask for and eventually became the best Nana.
One day in early 2015, Reneè decided to look up an old childhood friend on Facebook in hopes of reconnecting with him. This friend was her now-husband, Rob. They started to chit-chat back and forth, eventually talking on the phone for two to three hours almost every single night, really hitting it off as if no time had passed. Her daughter could see where this was going from miles away, but Reneè would insist, “No, no, no, we are ‘just friends.’” After about nine months of this, her daughter decided to text him herself and ask, “Would you two just date already?” He responded not even a minute later with, “Okay,” and the rest is history. The couple eventually made it “official” and married on April 20, 2023.
Reneè is lovingly remembered by her husband, Robert Lamb of Cedar Rapids; daughters, Brittney (Jay) Miller of Cascade and Samantha (David) Dana of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Jaxon, Alexander, and Aliza Dana, and EllaRae Miller; parents, Jim and Helen Yeisley of Springville; siblings, Jodi (Scott) Higgins of Cedar Rapids, Candace (Edward) Wuchter of Manchester, and Kelly (Eileen) Yeisley of Marion; along with many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Ivan and Elizabeth Yeisley; maternal grandparents, Ed and Maxine Jones; her ex-husband, David Dawson; Aunt Linda Buelow; Uncle Paul Yeisley; and Uncle Phil Yeisley.
The family would like to extend a huge thank-you to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for their continuous care throughout the years, and to St. Luke’s ICU for their kindness, care, and compassion throughout her stay and final moments with us.
All flower arrangements and contributions can be sent to Cedar Memorial Park.