Tilmon LLoyd Jr.'s Obituary
Pastor Tilmon Lloyd, Jr., (Ben Tilmon Lloyd, Jr.) was born July 2, 1932, in Shaw, Mississippi to Ben Tilmon Lloyd, Sr and Lear Jane Garrett.He was the third of eleven children, all of whom have predeceased him:James Robert, Emma Lee, Bessie Mae, Corine, John L., Ernestine, Christine, and Samuel. His parents and siblings affectionately called him by his nickname, “Baby Ray.” He was an adventurous and ambitious youngster, a generous brother, and his younger sisters looked up to him throughout their lives.Tilmon was introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ early in life in Shaw, MS, at the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. He continued the journey with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Chicago, Illinois, at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ (COGIC) located at “40th and State” where he was filled with the Holy Ghost.He attended Porter’s Bayou elementary and Shaw high schools prior to leaving ”the Mississippi Delta” during the great migration to the north at the young age of 16 1/2 years to pursue a better life in Chicago where his beloved Aunt Ellen and other family members were living. Seeking to be self-sufficient, he attended the Allied Institute of Technology where he studied tool-and-die-making. One of Tilmon’s first jobs in the Chicago area involved attending patients at Elgin State Hospital. He was industrious and took advantage of employment at the Lloyd J. Harris Pie Company from 1950 through 1959. Having an entrepreneurial spirit, Pastor Lloyd was a proud salesman of Presto Pride and Watkins products and also worked with his brother James in his exterminating and pest-control business. Pastor Lloyd was bi-vocational and was employed with the Chicago Transit Authority as a bus driver from 1962 until his retirement in 1994. He had an outgoing personality and was always helpful, going above and beyond to make sure his passengers experienced a safe and pleasant ride.It was while working at Elgin State Hospital that he met his soon to be lovely wife, Ruth Dolores Paul. They were joined in holy matrimony on October 3, 1954, in Sandusky, IL. To this union, four children were born. His first son, Elder Tilmon Lloyd, III, preceded him to glory.Pastor Lloyd joined the Good Hope COGIC under the initial pastorship of Superintendent Charles Brent followed by Elder Lewis Stokes. He was ordained as a minister and elder and dedicatedly served many years. Elder Lloyd soon became the assistant pastor and significantly helped Elder Stokes to lead the New Deliverance COGIC. Pastor Lloyd became the pastor after Elder Stokes entered eternity. Pastor Lloyd had a heart for people and believed in bringing glory to God by reaching the lost. Preaching and teaching the word of God were his paramount gifts. He and the congregation held street meetings and all-night prayer services, and he regularly visited the sick and shut-ins. Elder Lloyd had a charitable spirit and always offered words of encouragement for whomever he met. He pastored New Deliverance until 1999 when he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma.Upon arriving in Tulsa, he frequented the Higher Dimensions Church under the leadership of Bishop Carlton Pearson before placing his membership at Hearne Temple COGIC under the pastorate of Bishop Lee V. Broom where he served as a preacher and teacher.Pastor Lloyd was devoted to his immediate, extended, and church family. God gave him enough love to go around! He encouraged and supported his wife in her endeavors as a godly wife, devoted mother, and involved community worker, as well as a dedicated Sunday-school teacher, choir member, church mother, missionary, and evangelist.His children fondly remember him taking them on family trips both to local museums as well as on long road trips to visit extended family. He participated in teaching them reading and math, and he helped with homework. He emphasized good nutrition and balanced meals by baking brown bread at home and juicing fruits and vegetables long before it was trendy. He also shared a sweet tooth with some of them along with the accompanying dental visits! Pastor Lloyd was multifaceted and enjoyed boxing, jujitsu and obtained body building certification through the Charles Atlas program. He taught his children self-defense technique and emphasized self-discipline. Dad was unusually kind, generous and understanding. He encouraged them to excel in all their endeavors!Elder Tilmon Lloyd, Jr. was truly a man of God, a devoted husband, proud father, doting grandfather, dependable uncle, and trustworthy friend. He was dearly loved and will truly be missed. To cherish his memory, he leaves his loving wife of over sixty two years, Evangelist Ruth Delores Paul Lloyd, “ Ruthie”, two daughters, Dr. Brenda Joy Lloyd-Jones (Edward) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Dr. Valerie Jean Lloyd Edwards (Dr. Peter) of Omaha, Nebraska, one son, Todd Allen Lloyd ( Analyn) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and seven grandchildren, including Edward Jones II of Dallas, Texas, Aubrey Edwards–Luce (Danny) of Hyattsville, Maryland, Amber Edwards of Seoul, Korea, Peter Edwards II of Chicago, Illinois, Tayler Lloyd of Fort Worth, Texas, Amber Barnes of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Isaiah West of Frederick, Maryland and a host of relatives and friends.
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