MCGEHEE — Hershel Leon Lloyd,
79, of McGehee, Ark., passed away at McGehee Hospital on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. Leon was born on May 1, 1941, and was a lifelong resident of McGehee, Ark. He farmed cotton, soybeans, and rice for 20 years and was honored to be selected as Desha Farm Family of the Year in 1986. After retiring from farming, he managed McGehee Staplcotn for 20 years until his ‘second’ retirement in February 2007. Leon was a member of McGehee First Baptist Church. He enjoyed building and flying model airplanes, spending time with family and friends, and cooking. In Southeast Arkansas he was well known as being a master at making divinity candy at Christmas time. Involvement in the McGehee community was always an important part of Leon’s life. He formerly served in the following positions for the city: President of the JC’s; Vice President and chapter member of McGehee Men’s Club; board member of McGehee Chamber of Commerce; President of the Cemetery Association; President and board member of Desha County Farm Bureau; President of A.A.M. Building Association; board member of McGehee Industrial Building Association; and secretary of the Board of Directors of Farmer’s Butane. In addition, he received the following recognitions for his service to the community: Man of the Year; Volunteer of the Year; and a Capitol Citation from the Secretary of State for his community service and his dedication to the McGehee Chamber of Commerce.
Leon is preceded in death by his parents, Hershel G. and Mary Lloyd; a son, Hershel Leon Lloyd, Jr.; and siblings, Mary Catherine Vardaman, Jim and Jerry Hopkins, JoAnn Wynne, and Ronald Lloyd. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Sandra Harper Lloyd of McGehee, Ark.; three children, Robinette(Duane) Fowler of Adelaide, South Australia, James Lee Lloyd of Little Rock, Ark., and Leonette(David) Baker of McGehee, Ark.; two grandchildren, Lloyd David Baker of McGehee, Ark., and William Tanner Lloyd of Little Rock, Ark.; one brother, Charles Lloyd of McGehee, Ark.; and one sister, Sue(Warren) Collins of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and two sisters-in-law, Ann Lloyd of Little Rock, Ark., and Alpha Hopkins of White Hall, Ark. Pallbearers include F.H. Gill, Hayden Harper, Jr., Lloyd David Baker, William Tanner Lloyd, Chuck Lloyd, Chris Gill, Lynn Glosup, James Kolb, Frank Evans, Jerry “Monk” Hankins, Curtis Lagrone, and Danny Reaves.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, December 12, 2020, at McGehee Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to First Baptist Church of McGehee, P.O. Box 133, McGehee, Ark., 71654, or American Parkinson’s Disease Association, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, N.Y., 10305, or online at apdaparkinson.org. Arrangements by Griffin-Culpepper Funeral Service of McGehee, Ark. Online guest book may be signed at www.griffinculpepper.com