John A. Lambie was born February 16,1928 in Denver, Colorado to John W. Lambie and Hilda F. Lambie (Flaat). He attended grade school in Denver and moved to Grand Forks, ND with his parents and brother, Rodger, in 1940. In Grand Forks he went to school at South Junior High and Central High School, graduating in 1946. He then studied at The University of North Dakota for two years before transferring to North Dakota State University, graduating in 1950 with a degree in Agriculture.