Lloyd James Lytle, 83, of Burwell, passed away on Saturday, December 22, 2018, at the Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 28, 2018, at the Burwell Baptist Church. Burial was in the Cottonwood Cemetery at Burwell, Nebraska. Military honors were presented by the Clifford Clark American Legion Post #298 of Burwell. Visitation was Thursday, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Burwell Baptist Church. Memorials are suggested to the Ord Heartland Assembly of God Church, the Gideons International, or the Shriners Hospital. Ord Memorial Chapel was in charge of arrangements.
Lloyd was born on April 30, 1935, to Glen E. and Jannie Mae (Davis) Lytle, in Burwell, Nebraska. He was the middle of nine children. Lloyd attended school in North Loup, Ord, and Burwell. One of his boyhood jobs was delivering papers on foot until he had saved enough money to purchase his first bicycle which made the route easier and faster.
Lloyd married his high school sweetheart, Shirley Barthel, on June 10, 1955, in Burwell. He continued ranch and farm work until they moved to Renton, WA. In Washington, he worked for Boeing, and was drafted into the US Army. Lloyd served honorably for six years as a cook and was stationed at Fort Ord, California, and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Decorations included Sharpshooter in Rifle and Good Conduct medals. After his military tour, Lloyd and Shirley moved back to Nebraska to work for Shirley’s parents, and then rented a small farm near Taylor. In 1963, Lloyd and Shirley purchased their farm north of Burwell. He enjoyed raising Charolais cattle – whether seeing the baby calves romping in the pasture, or in the feedlot fattening up for market. He also enjoyed farming with his choice of equipment being green. As an active member of the community, Lloyd was a board member of the Burwell Assembly of God church for over 40 years; belonged to the area Gideons International group; and served on several committees. He donated over seven gallons of blood, not including those units he donated in others’ names. Lloyd was always willing to lend a hand wherever needed, either with carpentry, farming, or just doing the right thing and being a good neighbor.
Lloyd and Shirley were blessed with three children, S. Jolene, Steven J., and Scott J. – all ‘SJLs’, followed by five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He enjoyed all his “grands” and always had a hug and smile for everyone.
Lloyd accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior when he was 20 years old. He lived his life so that he was the same person on Saturday night as he was on Sunday. This was his unspoken testimony.
One of his favorite past times was to go on a drive. It didn’t really matter where he was headed – whether thru Jones Canyon, past Fort Hartsuff, or around the Burwell square only to turn around in order to unwind. Lloyd enjoyed travelling with Shirley and their family. They visited most of the 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Holland, Austria, and United Kingdom.
Lloyd worked at several jobs in addition to full-time farming – remodeled several houses in the area; managed the Co-op Station; worked maintenance at Calamus Recreational Park; and assisted Bill at Fleming Funeral Home. He enjoyed meeting new people and talking with everyone. He didn’t know a stranger, especially over coffee with pie and ice cream.
Lloyd would use what he had instead of purchasing new – repaired it to make it work. He wasn’t one to get disgusted when there was an equipment breakdown. He didn’t worry because he always kept the extra parts and pieces; even neighbors would often repair their equipment with his extras.
Lloyd’s last days on earth were spent in Bryan Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska, due to complications after surgery. He leaves behind his wife, Shirley, of Burwell; daughter, Jolene Smith of Huber Heights, OH; two sons, Steven (Val) of Ord, and Scott (fiancée Shelisa) of Burwell; five grandchildren, Eric, LaRissa, Shelbi, Shelden, and Stetsen; seven great-grandchildren, Mykala, Kaleb, Caden, Natalie, Kenize, Chloe, and Ethan; two brothers, Glen Lytle of Pawnee, IL, and Vernon Lytle of Springfield, IL; one sister, Leona Schlunsen of Bellevue, NE; and a host of relatives and friends.
Lloyd was preceded in death by his parents, Glen and Jannie (Davis) Lytle, very special in-laws, Carl and Iva (Boetcher) Barthel, siblings Thelma Lytle, Betty Dearmont, Clarence Lytle, Calvin Lytle, and Dorothy McCormick; and great-granddaughter, Kinsley Brozik.
