Clarence Lloyd Youngblood

Clarence Lloyd Youngblood of Clearwater died peacefully on February 3rd, 2019 at Brookdale Countryside Senior Living Solutions in Clearwater, FL. He was 91 years old.

Lloyd, as he preferred to be called, was born in Moore Haven, FL, on December 23rd, 1927, just over a year after his parents Clarence and Hettie lost their five children, and nearly their own lives, when the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 swamped their home. Lloyd said that his father was permanently affected by the ordeal and never worked a day again after the tragedy, and that his family was so poor that he didn’t get his first pair of shoes until he was a teenager. Nearly four years later his sister Betty was born, the only sibling he ever knew. Lloyd always spoke about the deep respect he had for the tireless efforts of his mother to provide for the family during those very tough times.

When he was twenty years old Lloyd joined the United States Air Force, and after his basic training was stationed in war-ravaged West Germany. He eventually became an air traffic controller, and he was honorably discharged from the service in August of 1975, after attaining the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. He was a true patriot, was very proud of his military service, and not one to quietly listen to anyone tearing down the country he loved. He eventually attained two degrees in Business History, and became a rental property owner and manager. He had a keen interest in history, healing, the ancient mysteries, and the Old West, was an excellent writer, commanding public speaker, good photographer, and an accomplished world traveler. He held long associations with Huna Research, Inc., The American Society of Dowsers, and the International Al Jolson Society, and wrote numerous articles for their publications. He was a regular speaker at the annual ASD convention in Vermont, and served as president of their Suncoast Chapter in Florida. He was the quintessential American success story: he started with nothing and through continuous hard work and wise choices became very prosperous. He was a very generous man. One of the first things he did when his finances allowed was to buy his mother a house.

Lloyd always followed a healthy diet. He didn’t smoke, but on occasion would enjoy a cold beer. And for him no meal was ever truly complete without a sweet dessert at the end.

“Lloyd was already a seasoned traveler when we met in the mid-1980’s at a Florida conference honoring Dr. J. Manson Valentine, the discoverer of the underwater ‘Bimini Road’ complex in the Bahamas” recalled South American explorer Mark DeMaranville. “We clicked right away. We were kindred spirits who immediately recognized in each other the same unquenchable thirst to investigate the mysterious antiquities scattered throughout the world. The following month we were climbing the Great Pyramid together.”

“Lloyd didn’t like heights, but he was hell-bent on climbing that pyramid. When we finally got to the top and he looked down from 450’ above the ground he said ‘Oh my God Mark, you’re going to have to hire a helicopter to get me off of here!’ But we took it slow and steady and safely made it back down. He was totally elated at his accomplishment, and I think that was the catalyst that awakened a more adventurous side of him, for after that he kicked the out-of-the-ordinary travel into high gear. He was constantly on the go, doing really interesting things, such as dowsing megaliths in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, meeting Mother Teresa at her center in Calcutta, searching for the airfield used by the Flying Tigers outside of Guilin, China, observing psychic healers in Brazil, and traveling overland by Land Rover to Timbuktu, Mali, just to highlight a few. “

“He was a devotee of a regular exercise regimen, so when more taxing opportunities came along he had the strength and stamina to participate. He was nearly 30 years my senior but was in great shape. I remember we actually had to hike into Tibet, with porters carrying our luggage, because the Chinese immigration authorities wouldn’t allow any transport to pick us up at the Nepalese border, a distance of over five miles. And we had to move at a good clip along the mountainside there, because we lost two hours due to the time difference between countries and if we didn’t get to customs before it closed we would’ve had to stand outside all night in the cold. He wasn’t exactly pleased, understandably so, but was up to the challenge. So it didn’t really surprise me a few years later when he signed-on to do an 8-night hike with me to Ciudad Perdida, the lost city in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It was quite taxing but he did very well. He drove himself to have these experiences, always with his trusty Nikon close at hand. He worked hard to keep himself fit and he reaped the rewards of his efforts. Decked out in his fedora hat, with his long list of exciting exploits, he was no stranger to being likened to Indiana Jones.”

“Lloyd was a natural showman. Whether at Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, or Easter Island, he always had his dowsing rods out and more often than not attracted a small crowd, if not a large one. He possessed a very theatrical voice, and was quick to break out in song, usually an Al Jolson number. When we were at the Greek ruins of Epidaurus he strode to center stage of the acoustically-perfect amphitheater there as if he was a scheduled performer and proceeded to recite Rudyard Kipling’s Gunga Din from beginning to end, his booming voice ringing out as clear as a bell. Not only was it a fine performance, but it demonstrated the superlative acoustics in a way that none in attendance would’ve experienced if he hadn’t done it. All of the tourists there gave him a rousing round of applause. And he loved that too, the adulation, and with a big smile and a sweeping flourish he doffed his cap and bowed in appreciation. He could really ham it up at times. I recall seeing a picture of him onstage in Mexico City with a Spanish guitar, wearing a serape and sombrero, probably regaling the audience with a bit of Jolson. ”

“I never saw him more content than when he was chasing down some great mystery. His energy was boundless then. When we got to a site he certainly wasn’t one to stand around passively listening to some guide prattle on. He was a dynamo. You couldn’t contain him. He always wanted to see what was around the next corner, more than anyone else I ever traveled with. I remember one time in Cairo he hired a car and driver to travel all night to Mount Sinai, climbed it in the dark to be on top for the sunrise, then came directly back without any sleep. In situations like that it was nearly impossible to rein him in. Even when we’d pushed an exploration to what I considered the limits, he’d be studying a map and say ‘You know Mark, we’re not all that far from this place…’ And he was always disappointed when I had to break the news to him that we’d reached the end of the line for that particular adventure. When it came to exploring he was like the Texan who said he didn’t want to own all of the land, just that which abutted his. He simply never wanted to stop.”

Lloyd, who sorely missed his sister Betty L. Sincair after her death in 2012, as well as her husband Leland C. Sinclair who died two years earlier, is going to be very much missed by the family and friends he has left behind: his daughter Trudy Mancini-Boyle and her husband Gerard of Norfolk, UK, along with his grandchildren Gabrielle and Calam and his great-grandchildren Cecilia Rosalie and Robin; his nephew Robert Cribbs, close neighbor Regino “Jerry” Rodriguez, Gregory Mydosh, and Daryl Smith, all of Clearwater, FL; Janet Miller of Homosassa Springs, FL; Patsy Clemens of Crystal River, FL; Alison Shepard of Palm Harbor, FL; Kathy Jennings of Muskegon, MI; JoAnn Melore of Ozark, MO; Helen Principi of Pleasanton, CA; Nancy Sparrow of New York, NY; Nancy Worthington Bailey of Redwood City, CA; Vincent J. Dimattina of Springfield, VA; Margaret Venator of Concord, NH; Mark and Maureen DeMaranville of Cummington, MA; and his traveling “buds” Pamela Paquette and Sam Chiancola of Massachusetts and Catherine Hanson of Montana.

Funeral services will be held Saturday March 2 at 2 pm at Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 1pm until time of the service at 2 pm.

So scope out those adventures on the ‘other side’ old friend. We’ll all be along in due time. As Roy Rogers and Dale Evans used to sing in one of your favorite songs, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”