Lloyd Robert Thompson January 5, 1926 - June 27, 2021

January 5, 1926-June 27, 2021

Lloyd Robert Thompson, beloved husband, father, and educator, died in Hughson, California, on June 27, 2021, aged 95.  Family, faith, and a commitment to nurturing future generations were the pillars upon which Lloyd built a life of service.  Lloyd was devoted to an extended family with deep roots in the Midwest. Born in Minneapolis, and raised in nearby Columbia Heights, he returned home after serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944-45 to begin his G.I. Bill-funded higher education.  Inspired by his wife Nancy, whom he married in Minneapolis in 1950, Lloyd became an elementary-school teacher in California following his graduation from the University of Minnesota in 1952.  (He would later earn a doctorate of education at the University of Southern California in 1966.)  Lloyd and Nancy would spend most of their sixty-five years together in California.  Lloyd’s career in public education spanned forty-one years, the last twenty-six of which were spent in Turlock, California, where he taught and supervised several generations of teachers-to-be at California State University-Stanislaus.  Lloyd played an important role in the early days of the California State University-Stanislaus Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, a professional association for educators.  He  served as the Stanislaus chapter’s first president in 1976-77.  After his retirement in 1994, Lloyd turned full-time attention to his almond ranch, sending his last crop to Blue Diamond in 2013, when he was 87 years old. 

 Lloyd’s faith was a source of strength and solace throughout his long and fruitful life.  In every place he lived, he gave generously to his church community.  After moving to Turlock in 1968, Lloyd and Nancy joined Calvary Baptist Church, where Lloyd held leadership roles and was instrumental in the church’s successful building campaign.

 The nineteen children lucky enough to call Lloyd father, grandfather, or great-grandfather knew they were loved and treasured.

 Lloyd, with his wife Nancy, opened his heart, and front door, to hundreds of people.  Whether it was his children and their friends, relatives, members of the various communities he served, missionaries from afar, or others, Lloyd welcomed them all.  He cherished their presence in his home; he touched their lives.  This continued to the end of his life, with joyful post-pandemic visits of two children and a daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren to his apartment at Samaritan Village.  A few days after the last visit, he smiled for the camera on what was to be his last Father’s Day.

 Lloyd, pre-deceased by his wife Nancy in 2015 and his son Robert in 2018, is survived by his children, Roger and Sarah; eight grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.  His sister, Leona Tanzy, survives him, but he is pre-deceased by his brothers, Roger and Glenn.

 In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Dr. Lloyd R. and Mrs. Nancy M. Thompson Education Scholarship at California State University-Stanislaus, 1 University Circle, Turlock, CA 95382. 

A celebration of life will be held at a later date to be announced in the newspaper and online at allenmortuary.com.  A private military funeral honors ceremony and inurnment will take place at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella, California.