Donald Lloyd
Donald Lloyd
Mass of Christian Burial was at 10 a.m., on Monday, Sept. 11, at St. Francis Catholic Church in Humphrey, Neb., and Father Matt Gutowski celebrated the Mass. Interment was with military honors in the parish cemetery. Visitation was on Sunday, Sept. 10, from 5-7 p.m. and a 7 p.m. vigil service, all at the church. Visitation continued Monday from 9 a.m. until service time, also at the church. A memorial service will be held in Rochester at a later date.
Don was born on Jan. 15, 1931, in rural Monroe, Neb., to Hugh Evan and Annabelle (Leggat) Lloyd. He attended Okay country grade school and graduated from Kramer High School in Columbus, Neb. He served in the Army from 1952 through 1954 at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Stewart, Ga.
He married Thelma Josephine Ternus on Nov. 12, 1955, at St. Francis Church in Humphrey. They farmed in the Humphrey and Lindsay area until 1978, when they retired from farming and moved to Columbus. Don then had an busy career as a realtor and auctioneer until his retirement at the age of 80.
Don played on the Cornlea baseball team as a young man and enjoyed the game his entire life. Don and Thelma enjoyed ballroom dancing, and they danced to many of the well-known big bands of their era. They also enjoyed traveling, including visits to cousins and ancestral family sites in Wales and Germany. Additionally, they were avid card players. Don was a member of the Rochester Korean War Veterans Club and served as Commander of the group for three years. He enjoyed his friends in the Rochester “Old Geezers” breakfast group, and he went to the gym religiously until shortly before his death.
After Thelma’s death in 2014, Don reconnected with a childhood classmate, Elaine Nansel Westring of Stromsburg, Neb., who became a beloved member of the Lloyd family; she survives. Additional survivors include daughters Margaret and Linda of Rochester, Minn., son John (Andrea) of Colorado Springs, Colo., and daughter Susan (Lynn) Williams of Loveland, Colo.; grandchildren Shane Williams and Rachel Lloyd of Denver, Colo., and Taylor Williams of Tacoma, Wash.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, wife Thelma, sister Margaret Ann, and brother Robert Evan.
Memorials are suggested to the Rochester Korean War Veterans Club or the Postville Welsh Cemetery in care of the family. The family wishes to acknowledge the loving care provided to Don by the staff of Seasons Hospice.
Condolences may be sent to www.gasshaney.com