Lloyd Harper was born in Hill City, South Dakota on or about January 29, 1927.  We say “on or about” because there was a blizzard at the time and it took a few weeks before a doctor was available to sign the birth certificate, by which time his mom was no longer sure on exactly which day he was born.

Lloyd spent his first few years in the Black Hills of South Dakota and never lost the love of forests and creeks that he learned way back then.  No doubt it played into the decision to go to Oregon and then stay there for the rest of his life.  When he was just 10 months old, his parents carried him up the new road to Mt Rushmore where Grover Cleveland gave a speech to dedicate the work about to begin on a new monument that would eventually become world famous.

His family moved to the east side of the state to his mother’s family farm, where he spent the rest of his youth, working hard at growing small grain.  He raised horses for the farm, which he loved, but he also worked on the family farm and many other farms as an extra hand doing a man’s day of work starting from an early age.  It was a hard life during the Great Depression and he never forgot the many trials and hardships of that time.  Those experiences helped make him the generous and kind man he was, willing to sacrifice any comfort on his own part to make sure his family had everything they needed.

In 1956 while working at the South Dakota state mental hospital in Yankton, SD he met a tall, red haired nurse named Rosalie.  They both knew from their first date that they had found their life’s partner and married just six months later.  On their honeymoon, they moved to Portland, Oregon where they had jobs and a few friends/relatives waiting.  It was there that they started a family, having three girls.

Lloyd loved gardening, which he did on a large scale and necessitated Rosalie canning on a large scale, freezing on a large scale, and giving away a lot of produce.  He also loved woodworking and built the cabinetry for their home, for Karen and Rick’s home, and then made many pieces of furniture that have become cherished heirlooms for the family.

Lloyd became a state grain inspector in Oregon, and then ran an export grain terminal for 25 years until retirement.  More importantly, Lloyd and Rosalie shared a love for Jehovah God and served him together.  Lloyd served as an elder in the local congregation for decades.  His faith and hope for the future were important in dealing with the loss of his beloved wife in 1999, and again during his own final days where he urged family and friends not to be sad because his hope is sure.

Lloyd is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, grandsons, a brother and sister, many nieces and nephews, and other extended family.