Lloyd Thomas Williams

Lloyd T. Williams, 94, passed away early Wednesday morning, October 7, 2015. He was the first child born to George Washington Williams and Edna Blanche Harrison Williams, February 11, 1921, in Non, Oklahoma.

At the age of one, his family moved near Strong City, Oklahoma, where they farmed until 1936. His sister (Mildred) and brother (James Raymond) were born there. The depression and dust bowl took their toll, and they lost the farm. The family moved to Johnstown, Colorado, seeking farm work.

Within a month of arriving in Johnstown, Lloyd met his future bride, Augusta (Gussie) Nell Kibby. He was 15 and she 13 at the time. Though he was two years her senior, they went through high school together, graduating with Johnstown’s high school class of 1940. They worked the summer of ’41 in Estes Park, and fell in love with the mountains. That fall Lloyd was drafted into the Army, so they eloped and were married on February 14, 1942, in Kimball, Nebraska. Though only 19 at the time, Gussie lied about her age, stating she was 21 (the legal age in Nebraska, at the time, without parental consent). Lloyd and Gussie’s first son, Tom, was born in 1943.

Lloyd served as a corporal, Battery C, 205th Field Artillery Battalion, in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. This unit was designated as a decoy unit for the land invasion of Japan (the expected casualties of this unit were 85-90%). Lloyd was extremely grateful that President Truman authorized dropping the bombs that ended the war, and ended up remaining in Japan (Army of Occupation) until January 1946.

In April 1946, he and Gussie moved to the Estes Park area, where Lloyd worked in both the Ramshorn and Prospect tunnels (part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project). In April, 1948, Lloyd hired on with CM Fulton Construction. He was an extraordinary dozer operator, and built many of the first roads in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, in addition to excavating numerous housing sites around Estes Park. He also built the golf course in Moraine Park at Steads Ranch. The highlight of his working life, in his own words, was “unloading a brand new HD-5 Allis Chalmers dozer in 1951 and then operating it for the next 15 years.”

After 19+ years with CM Fulton, Lloyd hired on with HD Dannels & Sons. He was as skilled doing finish carpentry work as he was a dozer operator. He worked for Henry, then Bernie and Al (Sager) for the next 25 years. He became great friends with Al, and worked occasionally with him after retirement (into his 80s).

They raised their three sons (Tom, Mike, and Dan) in Estes Park. All three attended Estes Park Schools (K-12), graduating in 1961, 1967, and 1972, respectively.

Lloyd is survived by his wife (Gussie) of 73 years; sons Tom (Cindy) and Michael K. (Sheri); grandsons Denali (Jen), Ian (Carissa), and Michael D.; brothers Raymond (Verda) and Kenneth (Janice); and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one son (Daniel), one grandson (Kelly), and two sisters (Trula [died at birth] and Mildred).

Graveside services will be held Monday, October 12, at 1:00 p.m. at the Johnstown, Colorado Cemetery, County Rd. 13 off Highway 60, with a reception to follow at Allnutt Funeral Service, 2100 N. Lincoln Ave, Loveland, Colorado. Memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army, in care of Allnutt Funeral Service, 1302 Graves Ave. Estes Park, CO 80517.