LLOYD LEE EVANS
Lloyd at our table 1982 for his 91st birthday.
Lloyd Evans was a close friend of our family for many years and a member of our church family at Highlands Grace Reformed Church in Sebring. As a boy our family were members of First Christian Church when Lloyd served on the board of elders in the 1960’s. I remember him as a gentle, quiet man who was very intelligent and inquisitive. His wife Marguerite died when he was up in years prior to his Christian conversion. Although a successful patent attorney, upstanding citizen and active church member when he heard a message preached on Romans 5 and realized his guilt in Adam and need of salvation God did an amazing work of saving grace. Around 1971 this happened when he was 80 years old. Lloyd grew in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. He was an eager and enthusiastic student of God’s Word and enjoyed sharing his discoveries with others. His youngest son Jim and his wife Emma hosted our church for awhile in their home in the 1980’s.
It was my privilege to be his pastor later on in his life. His favorite hymn was ‘Trust and Obey’. Lloyd studied patent law so long ago they had no law schools to teach it! He worked in the U.S. Patent office in Washington D.C. back in the 1910’s, specializing in inorganic chemistry. That was how they taught patent law back in those days. He was born and raised in Colorado and never saw anything but gold and silver currency until he moved east! He told us that one time a patent from another department dealing with an electrical apparatus of some type wound up on his desk for review. It was from Thomas Edison and his company! Lloyd specialized in patents for Portland Cement and had his own practice in Ohio. He was licensed to practice in United States courts and appeared before the Supreme Court to be qualified. He worked in Cleveland, Ohio with the firm of McNENNY, FARRINGTON, PEARNE & GORDON per their letterhead. He also served as President of the Patent Law Association back in 1951.
When my parents divorced back in 1968 Lloyd offered my father the use of his Lake Josephine home in exchange for keeping it up, which proved to be very helpful to Dad. Lloyd was very generous and thoughtful. My father liked to tell the story of one time he and Cy Nicholson were studying the Bible with Lloyd at his home. Lloyd excused himself because he had a phone call from a legal client. When he returned he explained he still did some legal briefs, research and consulting, and that one phone call was worth $900! That was a lot of money back then.
His reading was steady. In addition to Christian theology, especially Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, he studied personal computers late in life when his older son, Hubert, who also was a senior patent attorney for Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. began using them.
My wife, Terrie, used to cut his hair. He kept it in a flat-top and she had to use a comb charged with static electricity to make it stand up so she did not miss any hair! He bought Terrie a very nice electric professional barber clipper she still uses!
Back in the 1970's our church met in the Lion's Club on Fairmount Drive for a while, the Christians in the Lion's Den! Well, I opened the meeting one time that I recall, and we used to call on people to give a word of testimony on the spur of the moment. Well, I called on Lloyd to come up front and give his testimony of saving faith in Christ. He just sat there. I think he was a bit stunned at first. Then he gave a quick word and sat down pretty quickly. He just was not comfortable in front of a crowd at all. He was in his element doing legal research, but clearly was not good with public speaking. Oops. I felt badly for putting him on the spot.
Lloyd loved tapioca pudding made from the real thing, which he insisted on calling ‘frog eyes’! After living for many years at 2660 Lakeview Drive in Sebring he moved to an assisted living home owned by Jim Ruley and family called the Magnolia. There he began a Bible study with fellow residents. Later on he moved to Fort Myers to be nearer his granddaughter Caroline, who he loved dearly. Caroline was a very special woman and did cancer research in a laboratory.
Lloyd gifted me some of his library which I treasure, including a chemistry textbook and one on physics, and a nice legal size file cabinet I still use. I have his Lloyd-Jones commentaries on Romans and Ephesians he gifted me. He also encouraged me to read 'The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court', by Woodward and Strong to see how the court worked. He gave our church chairs years ago which we still use, and also made sure the church was included in his will, which really helped us purchase our present property. He gave my mother his car when he could no longer drive. Lloyd was very supportive of me personally, and was a real blessing to have in our lives. We are so thankful God put us together for awhile, and look to the day when we are together with our dear Savior Jesus Christ forever. Thank you Lord for Lloyd Evans.
It was a blessing to read Scripture from the pulpit at First Christian Church in Sebring at his funeral service in 1987.
Lloyd Evans - far left with our church in 1984.
At our home 1977.
This summary is from familysearch.org https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L2WJ-89L
Other information here:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55749203/lloyd-lee-evans
When Lloyd Lee Evans was born on 10 March 1891, in Aspen, Lake, Colorado, United States, his father, Alonzo Lee Evans, was 44 and his mother, Cora P. Hipp, was 36. He married Grace Marguerite Stephenson on 2 April 1913, in Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 1 daughter. He lived in East Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States in 1920 and Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States for about 10 years. He died on 23 January 1987, in Lee County, Florida, United States, at the age of 95, and was buried in Sebring, Highlands, Florida, United States.
Spouse and Children
Male
1891–1987 • Male
Female
1892–1971 • Female
Marriage
2 April 1913Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States
Children (4)
Male
1914–1944 • Male
Male
1917–Deceased • Male
Female
1920–Deceased • Female
Male
1923–2007 • Male
No comments:
Post a Comment