Walter Lembi ’69 on August 17, 2010. Lembi, 63, died from from cancer of the esophagus. Diagnosed in August 2009, he had battled the disease for the past year. Despite surgery to remove the cancerous portion of the esophagus in April, complications set in, and Lembi spent more than three months in intensive care at UCSF medical center, according to Lembi Group attorney, Ed Singer. Singer said Lembi died peacefully with his family at his side, including his father, Frank Lembi, who along with Walter, built what became the largest residential property empire in San Francisco.