On January 12, Lavell W Lloyd set out early for Durango, Colorado. He was on an errand to deliver a painting. He took our mom, his beloved—Joyce—and hit the freeway in his pride and joy, a car he’d coined the Grey Goose. His favorite thing in life was a good road trip with his sweetheart by his side.
Our father loved cars. He loved working on cars. He loved the grease, the tools, the dilemmas, and the triumphs of taking cars apart and putting them back together. And he loved talking about cars as he drove.
That night, hours and miles later, painting delivered, he’d completed another job well done—which was the only way our dad did anything—and he was pleased. But then the unthinkable happened: Dad’s great big heart simply gave up. It was unexpected and dramatic, with his primary concern, as always, for Mom. He told her he loved her and reminded her where the keys were hidden back home. He passed away a few hours later on January 13, 2023.
Lavell was born in Pocatello, Idaho, on December 8th 1932. He was the proud son of Earl Haslam Lloyd and Phoebe Naomi Wharton. He grew up in Preston, Idaho, during the depression where he learned to work hard, something he did his entire life. He idolized his older brother Cecil (married to Sally, both now deceased) and adored his baby sister Portia (married to Jon Jepsen).
In 1954 while working in Price, Utah, he met Joyce Elizabeth Asay, a little nurse’s aide he soon realized he couldn’t live without. He married her on June 20, 1955, and their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple four years later.
Lavell’s claim to fame was his four children: Ka Hancock (Mark), Kerry Lloyd (deceased), Kelly Lloyd (Diana), and Kory Lloyd.
Throughout his 90 years, Lavell served in various callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including as Bishop five different times. He and Joyce also served a full-time mission in the Madrid Spain temple.
He had eight grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, out-laws, and dear friends made during his lifetime, many of whom preceding him in death. In short, the ripples of our dad’s influence reached many, many hearts in many, many places.
He was a good man. A kind man. Unassuming. Busy, never idle, always doing something—usually for someone else—to the very end. He was a man of faith and prayer. A man of patience and a man of purpose.
He adored his wife and found his truest joy spending time with the family he built with her. He believed in the promise of eternal things which makes this separation from him, though still hard, less painful. We love you, Dad!
Funeral services will be held at Skyview Ward, 1361 East 4000 South, on Monday January 23 at noon, with a viewing 11:00–11:45.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the ER, ICU and Clergy at Mercy Regional Hospital in Durango for their loving care of our dad, and our mom during this heartbreaking time. Your kindness and compassion made it possible for us to navigate this crisis. Thank you.
