Flora Lloyd Early

FLORA L. EARLY, 96 Flora Early loved family gatherings, especially if they involved dancing with her children and grandchildren. Spending time with her six children and many grandchildren was what brought her the most joy. In her retirement years, much of her family lived far away, so she surrounded herself with pictures of them. Flora Vivian Lloyd Early was born in Maynard, MA on August 11, 1921 to Gladys (Garland) and Daniel Gordon Lloyd. She passed away on May 10, 2018 in Hereford, AZ with her youngest daughter by her side. Flora’s parents divorced when she was very young and her father was awarded custody of her and her three siblings. Her father had a tough time as a single father with four children so a family friend who was on the Board of Trustees for the Rolfe & Rumford Home for needy girls in Concord, NH arranged for Flora and her sister Helen to live there until they reached the age of 18. They would see their father and brothers on the first Sunday of each month and only saw their mother about once a year. Flora had very few toys as a child, and in her later years she developed a love for teddy bears. Her large collection of stuffed bears delighted her visiting grandchildren. Flora was an honors student in high school, earning an academic scholarship to the University of New Hampshire and dreamed of becoming a math teacher. She left college after her freshman year to marry her first husband, Nolan Fowler, with whom she had four daughters. They divorced and she later married Thomas A. Early, Jr., who was so smitten with her that he proposed after a brief two-week courtship. They lived in Long Island, NY with the four girls until they moved to Denville, NJ in 1955 and had two more children. When her husband retired in 1976, they moved to Sun City, AZ where they enjoyed an active retirement. They were happily married for 54 years until her husband passed away in 2006. A year later Flora moved to Sierra Vista, AZ to be near her youngest daughter. Flora adored her family and was a devoted wife and loving mother and grandmother. She was an active volunteer at a food bank, a clothing distribution center and a kitchen serving meals for seniors throughout her 30 years in Sun City. After moving to Sierra Vista, she volunteered at the Ethel Berger Center, where she regularly enjoyed playing Mexican Train Dominoes. She loved books and was rarely without several going at the same time. Despite the losses of two children and her husband, Flora refused to dwell on sorrow and embraced life with the unfailing belief that everything always has a way of working out. She was sustained by her unwavering faith that her whole family would be together again someday. Flora was preceded in death by her husband Thomas A. Early, Jr., her daughters, Nancy Liebl and Judith Hunter, and her great granddaughter Hailey Acierno. She is survived by her daughters Beverly (Michael) McNamara of Leominster, MA; Susan Early of St. Petersburg, FL; Dorothy (Wallace) Hoggatt of Sierra Vista, AZ and her son Thomas (Debra) A. Early, III of Andover, NJ, 14 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. Her family will always be grateful to the wonderful caregivers at Via Elegante Assisted Living who looked after Flora for nearly 4 years as well the compassionate and caring staff of Valor Hospice who cared for her during her last 3 months. The family will hold a private service.