Funeral set for 11-year-old Brookneal boy

A funeral date has been set for the Brookneal boy fatally shot Tuesday, and the funeral home is working with family to raise enough money to pay the bill.

Anyone wishing to donate money for the funeral home should make checks payable to:
Lacy Funeral Home
6241 Cross County Road
Mineral, VA 23117
Donors should note at the bot-tom of the check that the pay-ment is for Andrew Bryant’s funeral.

Andrew Bryant Lambert, 11, was killed Tuesday after a 13-year-old authorities said was engaging in “horseplay”, shot him with a rifle.

The 13-year-old, whose name authorities did not release, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Andrew’s half-sister, Tracy Ellis, of Louisa County, described Andrew as a constantly positive kid who loved his family, and was into sports and Matchbox cars.

“I’ve never known Andrew to be anything but an awesome child,” she said.

“This is a kid that has served 11 years of his life with a smile on his face every day.”

Ray Lacy, director of the Lacy Funeral Home in Mineral, said Andrew’s family in Louisa County wanted to bury Andrew in a private family cemetery, but was having trouble coming up with enough money to pay for the services.

The family set up a fund in connection with the funeral home, whereby donors can send money to the funeral home specifically for Andrew’s service.

Ellis, 21 years older than Andrew, said she always treated her little brother, the youngest of five, like a son. She nicknamed him “my little man.”

“He’s my baby boy,” she said. “Everywhere I went, he was my little sidekick. He was my little shadow.”

Lacy said anyone who wants to donate should make checks payable to the funeral home, and note on the check that the money is for Andrew’s funeral.

Ellis said Andrew moved to Brookneal with his father, Stephen Lambert Sr., about six months ago.

Lacy said he’s seen an out-pouring of support from resi-dents of both Louisa and the Lynchburg area, as well as churches from both areas.

“Most of the people that have been calling me were churches and folks from down that way,” he said, referring to Brookneal.

“A couple of the churches that called were actually some distance from where it hap-pened,” he said, “but they either knew somebody in the family or were contacted by somebody that knew somebody in the family.”

“Andrew is very loved and very missed,” Ellis said.

Visitation is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, at Lacy Funeral Home in Mineral, with a graveside service Monday at 11 a.m. at the family’s cemetery.

Lacy said Andrew will be laid to rest beside his grandfather, Andrew Parrish.

Any surplus money received, Lacy said, will be given to the family via a check issued from the funeral home.