William Lloyd

Funeral Services: Monday, April 13, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home of Forsyth

Burial: will follow in the Rosebud Cemetery

William J. Lloyd, 97 a retired U.S. Navy officer, died Sunday, April 5th, 2009 at the Rosebud Health Care Center in Forsyth.

Bill, as most knew him, was born in Rosebud on July 29th, 1911, the son of Albert and Katherine Lloyd. He spent his youth and attended school there in the little town along the Yellowstone, graduating in 1929. He worked a year on ranches and farms in the valley, waiting for his younger brother Jack to graduate, then they both enlisted in the Navy. Both easily adapted to the service and made a career of it.On September 19, 1940, he married his high school sweetheart, Winnifred S. Jaastad, and she waited for him in Norfolk, Virginia, as he served first with the Sixth Fleet in the South Pacific theatre in the Philippines. Then, as the war escalated, with the USN Anti-submarine Command stationed at Belem, Brazil, in the Atlantic, where the U-boats were creating havoc with the Atlantic Convoys to embattled Europe. His air group was instrumental in the sinking of several of the German raiders, with the loss of some of their own planes. It was there that he was promoted to officer status. It was there, too, that he became the 6th Fleets light heavyweight champion, knocking his opponent, the former champ, out in six rounds.

Later, he served aboard a ship in the evacuation of North Koreas civilian populace who were lucky enough to escape from the Communists who had taken over the country. This preceded the Korean Conflict of the early 1950s. Years later, when the Communists overran North Vietnam, the U.S. Navy helped evacuate the civilian populace who were escaping from the brutal takeover. After World War II, he was sent to bases in the Marianas Islands, Tennessee, Washington, Oregon, Florida and Alaska. In each case, his growing family followed him.

In 1955, he retired from the Navy while stationed in San Diego after achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander, quite and achievement for the Rosebud boy with only a high school education!He returned with his family to Montana, where his heart had always been. Restless, he sought employment and found it working for the prison system in Deer Lodge. As captain of the guard, he was taken hostage by the prisoners when they rioted, after throwing the cell block keys into the street to keep them from the rioters. Furious, the prisoners threatened his and the lives of the other hostages with death by fire if their needs were not met. After a tense interlude and fruitless negotiations, the National Guard took the prison back using rocket fire to blast their way inside and rescue the men who had been take. He was promoted to Assistant Warden after that and later lost his bid to become the next warden due to partisan state politics. The family then returned to Rosebud, where he purchased a small place on the North Side, with the distinctivered brick two story house. There, he and his family lived for the last 50 years.

He is survived by his sons, David and Dan, daughter Mary Ann, their spouses, and their children and grandchildren. We would like to believe that he and Mom are together in Heaven, playing their daily scrabble games and accompanying one another in their music.