Ralph R. Lloyd Jr.

RALPH R. LLOYD JR., 88, of Little Rock, went to be with his Lord on Jan. 26, 2011. He was born on Sept. 10, 1922, to Ralph R. Lloyd and Ethel Mae Phillips Lloyd while his father was attending the Baptist Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. His parents predeceased him; as well as his wife of 57 years, Marjorie Mae Jones Lloyd. Survivors include his sons, Dr. Ralph R. Lloyd III of Houston, Texas, and John Calvin Lloyd and wife, Shannon; grandson, Jacob C. Lloyd; and granddaughter, Lauren N. Lloyd, all of Plano, Texas. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Edwin P. Lloyd and wife, Candy of Starkville, Miss.; and sister, Ethel Ruth Lloyd Partain of Boiling Springs, North Carolina; brother-in-law, Dr. Sid Jones and wife, Jane of Waco, Texas; nieces and nephews, including Elizabeth Lloyd Mosley and husband, Tommy of Greenville, Ala.; William D. Partain and wife, Grace of Glasgow, Scotland, Eugene Roehlkepartain and wife, Jolene of Minneapolis, Minn., David Partain of Linkoping, Sweden, Sydne Bartlett and husband, George and Gregg Jones and wife, Anna, both of Houston; and a number of great-nephews and great-nieces. Ralph attended public schools in San Antonio, Texas, graduating in 1940 from Brackenridge High School. He attended the University of San Antonio for one year before transferring to Texas A&M in 1941 with the onset of WWII. Ralph enlisted in the Army Oct. 2, 1942, and was called to active duty on March 22, 1943. Serving in the infantry and Quartermaster trained, he went overseas with the 4171 QM Depot Company which went to England, France, Luxemborg, Belgium and Germany, primarily with General Patton's Third Army. His troops assumed they would be the Army of occupation in Germany. He received two battle stars, Rhineland and Central Europe. Ralph then shipped out from Marseille, France, via the Panama Canal en route to the Philippines for the invasion of Japan. As fate would have it, the atomic bomb was dropped in early August 1945, which ended the war. Ralph then proceeded to Manila-Lingayen Gulf to Southern Honshu, Japan, 25 miles from Hiroshima which he visited in early October 1945. He was discharged from the service on July 31, 1945. Returning to Texas A&M, he graduated in May 1947 as a distinguished student with a B.S. degree in entomology. Ralph met Marjorie M. Jones in Houston and they were married on July 7, 1951, in McKinney, Texas. He worked for Stauffer Chemical Company for eight years, spending a lot of time in the field educating farmers and solving insect problems. He then worked for Olin Corporation for 30 years in business management in agriculture, which included national and some international travel. He was a Board Certified Entomologist who was active in the agricultural industry at both state and national levels. Since the late 1940's, Ralph was interested in family history and ultimately published a number of family histories. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, golf and basketball. Ralph cared for his parents, mother-in-law, Violet Jones and his aunt, Jewell Bradbury in their golden years. He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Ralph R. Lloyd Jr. was a loving son, husband, father and grandfather who loved his country. Funeral services will be Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 2200 Kavanaugh, officiated by Pastor Ed Simpson. Burial will follow in Forest Hills Memorial Park in Alexander. Visitation will be held Friday evening, Feb. 4, from 6-8 p.m. at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Ct., Little Rock, (501)224-2200. Mr. Lloyd's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.