Samuel Robert Lloyd

May 20,1940 - October 30, 2026

The son of Sam Henderson Lloyd Jr., and Lela Mae Robertson Lloyd, Sam was born and raised in Poteau, Oklahoma. With both parents having attended Oklahoma State University, and his grandparents residing in Stillwater, he was always set on going to OSU. Sam was a proud graduate of Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of Blue Key, Phi Kappa Phi, and on the President’s Honor Roll. He earned his B.S. degree in Business Administration and M.B.A. degree from Oklahoma State University and completed all courses and exams for a doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Among the many honors Sam earned are included fellowships for both of his graduate studies. Having majored in insurance and marketing, he spent several years in sales, sales training and supervision in the insurance industry before entering the doctoral program at Washington University.

Sam enjoyed a 10-year career in the academic world teaching at Oklahoma State University, St. Louis University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. During the last seven years of his academic career, he also had administrative responsibilities as Assistant Dean for Continuing Education for the School of Business Administration, University of Missouri - St. Louis, where he honed his skills as a presenter at workshops and seminars across the St. Louis area and eastern Missouri. Sam designed, developed, and directed hundreds of seminars and short courses for the business community in Missouri. He brought his skills and creativity to his next position in Dallas,TX, as the Director of the Management Development Program for the Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University.

Sam was President of Success Systems, Inc., international training and development consultants from 1977 to 2013 located first in Dallas, TX, and then in Boulder, CO. He founded the Company with Linda Stone to provide training and coaching services for organizations of all types. His wife, Christine (Tina) Berthelot, joined the company in 1984 and transitioned to Sam’s business partner in 1986. Sam delivered training programs in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Sam worked with people in organizations for over 40 years providing training for a wide variety of individual and organizational needs, along with personal coaching. He authored eight books and numerous articles in business and professional journals. Through his programs, coaching, and books he was committed to helping businesses improve the performance of their employees to help give people the skills necessary for better relationships. In his 70s, Sam described himself as about 90% retired, as he provided occasional training programs and individual coaching when requested by client organizations and some individuals seeking help.

While being the driving force of Success Systems, Sam was an active member and leader of several professional associations, including the International and USA Transactional Analysis Associations, the Administrative Management Society, the American Society for Training and Development, the Boulder Area Human Resources Association and the Society for Human Resource Management Colorado State Council.

In retirement, Sam continued to gift his talents by volunteering in Restorative Justice and Mediation programs for the Boulder County Sheriff’s office. His allegiance to OSU continued throughout his life. After retiring, he served as a mentor to business major students, conferring and supporting them via zoom, telephone, and in person, traveling from his home in Boulder, CO, to the OSU campus in Stillwater, OK.

Sam loved playing tennis and organized doubles matches well into his 70’s for his long list of tennis-playing friends, who certainly appreciated his organizational skills. He was a fan of live theatre and held season tickets for local theatre companies in St. Louis, Dallas, and Denver over the 40 years he lived in those areas. A talented trumpet player in his youth, Sam was a lifelong music lover and collector of jazz. Sam donated his considerable collection of vinyl records to KUVO radio station in Denver, so that others could benefit from his remarkable music library. Sam and Tina also took numerous jazz cruises to enjoy that art form. Along with his love of music, he shared his passions for photography and travel with Tina. Together they traveled to countless locations in many countries, and many thousands of his photos are stored in albums on Shutterly.com and YouTube.com. His family, friends, and photo/video fans can enjoy a photographic history of his relationships and travels artistically set to music that Sam loved. Sam commented several times that his life had been fuller and richer than he had ever imagined it would be!

Sam lost his 12 year plus courageous battle with Frontal Temporal Lobe Dementia (FTD) with the Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) variant on the 30th of October, 2026. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam H. and Lela Mae Lloyd and brother, Gary Dale Lloyd, all of Muskogee, OK. He is survived by his devoted wife of 43 years, Christine (Tina) Berthelot of Boulder, CO, sons Stephen R. Lloyd of St. Louis, MO, and Marc D. Lloyd of Kansas City, MO, former spouses and friends, Carolyn McDonald Becker, and Linda Stone Schrimsher. He is also survived by his brother Ronald H. Lloyd (Gloria) of Edmond, OK, and former daughter-in-law Sharon Lloyd of St. Louis, MO.

He will be missed by his family, friends, fellow tennis players and professional acquaintances. Sam will be celebrated in a private Celebration of Life ceremony by his family in December. In lieu of condolences or flowers, please consider honoring Sam and his legacy through a donation in his name to https://protect.worldwildlife.org/page/52883/donate/1?en_og_source=Web_Donation&ea.tracking.id=Web_Link&supporter.appealCode=AWE2500OQ20678A07176RX.