Lloyd, William H.

William H. Lloyd

William H. Lloyd, Major, USAF (Retired)
November 08, 1930 – August 13, 2007

Mr. William Holmes Lloyd, 76, a resident of Durham for 35 years, died peacefully on Monday, August 13, 2007, at his home.

Love for God, his family and his country filled his life. Mr. Lloyd was born in Hillsborough to Myron P. and N. Mae Holmes Lloyd. He graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1948, Mars Hill Junior College in 1950 and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and his teacher’s certification in 1952.

Upon graduation, Mr. Lloyd enlisted in the U.S. Air Force then went through officer candidacy, pilot and helicopter schools. He flew as a mechanical engineer on B-36’s, piloted C-123’s and was a helicopter pilot of H-53’s. As a pilot in the Jolly Green Giants combat search and rescue team in Vietnam, he flew more than 100 missions between 1967 and 1968. Among the medals Mr. Lloyd received were the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one bronze oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze star, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars and the Airman’s Medal with five bronze oak leaf clusters.

Following his retirement from the military in 1972 at the rank of major, Mr. Lloyd taught quantitative physical science (QPS) at Neal Jr. High School in Durham County for six years then joined Brame Specialty Co. in the school products division, where he was honored in 1984 for outstanding sales achievement. Mr. Lloyd was a longtime member of Yates Baptist Church where he was a deacon and served on many committees. He was an avid supporter of the Durham Rescue Mission and the Carolina Tar Heels.

Mr. Lloyd is survived by his devoted wife of 51 years, Mary Benton Royster Lloyd; sons, Thomas Benton of Durham and James Franklin and wife, Keli, of Raleigh; and daughters, Julia Ann and husband, Brad Dula, of High Point and Mary Ellen and husband, Devin Biery, of Huntersville. He was the proud grandfather of Jack, Ryan and Braley Dula; Franklin and Nathan Lloyd; and Mitchell Biery. He is also survived by his sister, Flora Lloyd Pickett of Durham and family.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, at Yates Baptist Church in Durham with family visitation immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Haiti Mission Fund at Yates Baptist Church, 2819 Chapel Hill Road Durham, NC 27707 or the Durham Rescue Mission, 1201 East Main Street Durham, NC 27701.

Burial information: Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery, Chapel Hill, NC.

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Major Lloyd served a Vietnam War tour as a HH-3E pilot with Det. 5, 38th ARRS and 37th ARRS in the 1966-1967-time frame.

Integrity, Honor, and Respect
Some of the best things cannot be bought, they must be earned

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