My grandfather passed away December 27th, 2014 at age 93. Below is his obituary. Please note I have edited it so that there is not any "identifying" information.
Loyd passed away on
December 27, 2014. He was born on September 23, 1921 in Idaho, the
third child. His twin brothers passed away in 1987.
Loyd's earliest memories were of riding horses, first behind his mother and
then as transportation to school and work on his father's ranch. From the age
of 16 Loyd was active in the logging industry. Starting in the Potlatch logging
camps as a log chute greaser, he developed the skills and knowledge of the
woods that would lead to 75 years of harvesting timber. He and his brother ran a pole yard in Clackamas followed by owning their own
sawmill in Klamath Falls. They moved to Lebanon in 1953 where they started Logging Company cutting timber in the Sweet Home area and trucking it
to Cascade Plywood in Lebanon. Loyd retired in 1971 but continued to harvest
his own timber and subdivide his land until 2013.
In 1942 Loyd moved from Idaho to Portland to join the Coast Guard. While
attending a dance, he met his future wife, Betty. They were married on February
28, 1948.
Loyd was an avid sportsman. He enjoyed hunting in eastern Oregon and fishing
with his children, grandchildren, and friends. He raised cattle, sheep and
horses and in his later years he loved watching the ducks and fish on his land.
Loyd was preceded in death by his daughter, Patti, and grandson, Todd. Survivors include his wife Betty, daughter Vicki,
grandchildren Matthew and Alissa, along with 5 great
grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family asked that memorials be made to Samaritan Lebanon
Community Hospital.
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Because I am unable to attend, I have written the below to be read at the celebration of life.
First of
all, it breaks my heart that I couldn’t be there today to celebrate Granddad’s
extraordinary life. Thinking about many
friends and family gathered together reminiscing and exchanging anecdotes puts
a smile on my face.
My granddad
taught me a lot about life. His strength
inspired me, and his generosity amazed me.
He was the kind of man who would not only track down a pony so that his
granddaughter from the city could learn to ride, but also help her up out of
the dirt when the horse ran away with her.
As I grew up over the years, I realized that if I didn’t know something,
I just needed to ask Granddad, and he would show me. For example, he taught me how to shoot a gun
and clean a fish. He showed me how to
bait crab traps and then curse when I didn’t get it right. All skills that I later learned really
impressed boys.
One of my
favorite things about Granddad was how he loved singing at random times. Whether we were eating, driving, or just
sitting around talking, a song would pop into his head and out it came. My favorite song, from the short list of
appropriate ones, was his good morning song. I sing it to my daughter every day
when I get her out of bed. It will
always remind me of him. I think he
would be happy it is being passed down.
I am lucky
to have had a chance to know my granddad for 32 years. I went from a child watching him talk
politics and logging with a whiskey and water in his hand to an adult joining
the conversation with a cocktail in my own.
I finally understood why he worked so hard so late into his life. It was
for us, his family. It was his way of
telling us how much he loved us. What I
really want to say to him and to Grandma today is that I love you both so much,
and I feel overwhelmingly appreciative to have you as my grandparents. Thank
you.
