Lloyd William Dunwald

LLOYD WILLIAM DUNWALD (1920-2009)

All who knew Lloyd are welcome to help celebrate his life, Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 4th and D Streets, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526.

Lloyd led a rich life, born April 23, 1920 to Matthew and Emma (Stockwell) Dunwald in Hatton on the Golden Prairie of Saskatchewan, Canada, the second of six siblings. He attended the one-room Observation School with the many other immigrants to that area. These school children and their teachers have been remembered in a book titled They Built a Nation.

Lloyd often spoke of the hard work of clearing the land of the rocks so that the farming could be accomplished. He also told of earning money by eliminating prairie dogs from the farm land. He and his 11-month older brother, Cliff, built a mud house for the chickens. His mother was a school teacher and taught her children many things in addition to what they learned at school.

Lloyd was a good, kind, and sensitive man, loving his family with all his heart. His daughters, Dee and Vicki adored him and thought he could do no wrong. He was proud of his son Aaron who achieved the Eagle badge in Boy Scouts, later becoming a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Marines.

Lloyd cared for the mother of his children, Nancy, for four years before her passing, and then found Laura when he returned to church after Nancy’s passing on. He gave Laura loyal love and support, along with his great sense of humor.

Lloyd was ever so happy to have surprise visitors in 1995 at the door of our RV, where we were staying at the Sutter General Hospital, Sacramento, California, while Lloyd was receiving radiation for prostate cancer. Lloyd Alin, his namesake and grandson, and his mother Pat came to invite us to Lloyd Alin’s high school graduation, which we were very happy to attend. We had not seen Lloyd since our wedding day in 1980.

Lloyd had numerous medical conditions every year after 1995 with the exception of 2003. In 2000 he fell on a wet floor in a store and had his first crushed lumbar vertebrae. Early signs of memory loss were diagnosed as Alzheimer’s. As a result of his memory loss, he fell off a curb on a rainy night in December 2005. Going from the hospital to the Fairview Transitional Health Center, where he had previously recuperated from various hip and knee operations, he was expected to return home. His Alzheimer’s had developed to the degree that the decision was made to leave his care to Fairview, where the staff lovingly took care of him, and to whom Laura is deeply indebted for their devotion to him.

He was at Fairview the last time for three years and 2 days before going to join his children’s mother, his daughter Dee, his grandson Jacob, his brothers, Stanley, Cliff, and Ross, and a sister Gwen, who preceded Lloyd’s death. A sister, Phyllis in Calgary, Canada survives. He also has nieces and nephews and sisters-in-law in Canada. His daughter Vicki Johnson is in Florida, and his son Aaron lives in Chile when he is not on the high seas. He also has grandchildren and great grandchildren in the United States.

Lloyd cherished his membership in the Masons, his Boy Scout leadership, and the fact that he had given over 10 gallons of blood to the Blood Bank. He maintained membership in the Foresters, and had been a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) for over 50 years. After his discharge from the Royal Canadian Navy, he built a home in Edmonton for his new family. His daughter recently told Laura of his being a volunteer fireman and that he went through a window, receiving an eight inch gash on his thigh, to rescue a small boy.

He really enjoyed the two decennial “homecomings” we attended in Golden Prairie. Some of our most enjoyable times we had were the travels we had in our recreational vehicle, the “Go Now”, gaining new friends along the way with membership in the Escapees’ RV Club, and visiting the areas where our families had lived. In Grants Pass, we have lifetime membership in RASCAL (Rogue Area Senior Computer Area League).

Lloyd’s goodness will be missed by many, if not most of all by his wife, Laura.

Remembrances may be sent to Lloyd’s Memorial at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 224 D Street, Grants Pass 97526.