Lloyd George Henry

GLENDIVE, MONTANA: Lloyd George Henry, age 92, passed away on Tuesday, April 27. 2010 at the Eastern Montana Veterans Home in Glendive. A Life Tribute Service with military honors will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 1, 2010 in the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive with Celebrant Sandy Silha officiating. Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home of Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements. Lloyd was born on October 11, 1917 in Glendive, the son of John and Annie (Patterson) Henry. He was raised and educated in Glendive, graduating from Dawson County High School with the class of 1936. Lloyd entered the United States Army Air Corp on June 23,1942 in Missoula, Montana. He served during World War II with the 8th. Air Force as a B-17 bomber pilot until his honorable discharge from military service on October 24, 1946 at the rank of Captain. Lloyd married Veryle Bonner on November 10, 1943 in Glendive. The couple made their home in Glendive where Lloyd was employed by the Montana Highway Department in the Highway Maintenance Supervision Division from 1947 until his retirement in 1979. He was preceded in death by his wife Veryle in 1994, his son, Brian in 2004, two brothers, Bob and Bill and one sister Edith. Lloyd was a life member of the 92nd Bombardment Group, the 1/11 CCRC Memorial Group, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Association of Montana Retired Public Employees. He was also a member of AARP since 1973. Survivors include one son, Richard Henry of Glendive; five grandchildren, Shawn Henry and his wife Rachel and their 2 sons and 1 daughter of Walnut Grove, Oregon, Sheena Ditchavage and her husband Mike and their 3 sons of Billings, Montana, Sharlee Henry of Glendive, Susan Henry of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Joey King and her 2 daughters of Centralia, Washington; eight great grandchildren and a life long best friend, George Hoffman and his wife Peggy of Billings. Lloyd George Henry Life Tribute Service with Military Honors May 1, 2010 Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home Glendive, Montana Welcome: Master of Ceremonies Video Tribute Eulogy: Celebrant Lloyd George Henry. In the words of his son Rick, “we are celebrating a life.” Although touched with sadness by Lloyd’s death, it was not an untimely death, but rather the gentle ending of a long and full life. After 92 years of living and loving, of service and accomplishments, of working hard and of playing hard, of meaningful relationships with family and friends, after 92 years of touching and enriching the lives of everyone around him, we celebrant, honor and pay tribute to this good man, and are grateful to have experienced Lloyd George Henry. Lloyd was the youngest child in his family, with his siblings being quite a few years older than him. His brothers and sister were all born in Scotland; he was the only child born in the United States. Lloyd was not particularly close to the family, partly due to the years between he and his brothers and sister, and also because his mother lived away from home when he was young while she and an older brother of Lloyd’s homesteaded two farms in the Flowing Wells area, and she had to live there to satisfy the homesteading regulations. Lloyd would tell of traveling by wagon to visit his mother on week-ends occasionally. What stuck in Lloyd’s mind about the homestead was the lonely sound of the wind. Lloyd never lived on the homestead, but grew up and received his education in Glendive. It was at about age 12 that he found a lifelong friend in a boy that moved into the neighborhood, George Hoffman. Lloyd and George hit it off immediately, and although George really can’t explain why they became such close friends, George does say that they “just fit; never argued and were like brothers. One of the things they did together as kids was go to matinees. George says that Lloyd would hum along with the songs in the movies, and picked up a habit of humming all the time. It was George who nicknamed Lloyd, “Hummer.” George recalls driving around with Lloyd and Lloyd would be humming and George would begin making conversation with Lloyd in an effort to stop the humming. As soon as they stopped talking, Lloyd would pick up the song he had been humming in the very spot he had stopped. Music just continually ran through Lloyd. When Lloyd was a youth, he began playing the guitar, and it quickly became one of the loves of his life. As a young adult, Lloyd played in a local band for entertainment at establishments in the area. Lloyd played the rhythm guitar. The band even bought a machine to produce 45 records, which they put their music on and distributed locally. By then Lloyd was seriously dating Veryle Bonner and she sometimes sang with the band. But then World War II came along and interrupted life. Lloyd entered the United States Army Air Corps. As Lloyd began his training as a bomber pilot, Veryle traveled with him from base to base. While home on leave, just before his final training session and deployment overseas, Lloyd and Veryle were married in a small, quiet ceremony. Lloyd was sent to England, and Veryle lived in Glendive to await the end of the war and Lloyd’s return home. Upon his honorable discharge from the military, Lloyd returned to Glendive, and he and Veryle settled in for the life they would spend together. Lloyd began his 32 years of employment with the Montana Highway Department in the Highway Maintenance Supervision Division, while Veryle was a full time wife and mother. Lloyd and Veryle were very traditional, with Lloyd doing the man thing of being an excellent provider for his family, something he took very seriously, and Veryle taking on the roll of the homemaker. They had two sons, Brian and Rick, and maintained a household over the years that was positive and welcoming. Veryle always had coffee and cookies to offer all who dropped by, and the Henry house became the neighborhood coffeehouse. A favorite activity of Lloyd’s was riding motorcycle. He and George took many a ride around eastern Montana. Veryle sometimes rode with Lloyd on his motorcycle and other times, she would ride her own. Although Lloyd and George’s Harley Davidson’s were road bikes, Rick recalls his dad telling about riding the cycles out on Glendive Creek. When George lived in Idaho, Lloyd and Veryle traveled to visit George a couple of times, once riding two-up on Lloyd’s cycle and once hauling their cycles to ride with George in Idaho. Both Lloyd and Veryle enjoyed decorating their motorcycles up with tassels on the handlebars, leather fringe around the seat, star studs, and various other motorcycle add-ons. They were proud of their motorcycles and had a great deal of fun riding them. The most important thing in Lloyd’s life was family. Granddaughter Sharlie states that with Lloyd “family was religion.” Every Sunday they would get together with members of Veryle’s family for dinners that included aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and Rick likened the food served to having Thanksgiving every Sunday. Because Lloyd wasn’t close to his own parents and siblings, he made Veryle’s family his own and they became very important in his life. This tradition of gathering together continued for all of Lloyd’s life with every generation of his family and many important memories were made for everyone. Music was always present, with Lloyd on the guitar, Rick on the piano, the grandchildren on the spoons and everyone singing. Also always present was Lloyd with his camera, standing bow-legged, posing everyone for the best shot, and taking numerous photos. Something granddaughter, Sheena, admired her grandfather for was that for him there was no pointless or idle time. Lloyd was always learning, whether it was from reading, intelligent conversation, or doing something productive with his hands. Rick calls his father a Mr. Fix-it who could make things work, or repair anything. Lloyd was methodical, stubborn, persistent, innovative and frugal when working on anything. He did not claim to be an expert, but he could make it work. Lloyd had gotten a lathe from his father, and Lloyd was a self-taught machinist. He often made metal parts and bushings for a friend who was a mechanic. He machined small firing pins for Rick’s shotgun, and crafted a set of steel archery tools for Rick that are just beautiful. Lloyd also was known to disappear into his basement workshop to do woodwork. His specialty was boxes of all sizes. Lloyd crafted chests for every family member, and even a few jewelry boxes, all with the initials of the recipient carved into them. What gifts and talents Lloyd had, he shared with those who were important to him. One of the character traits Lloyd had that was both frustrating to Rick and somewhat funny was that as long as something could be used or fixed it was “good enough.” Lloyd only owned about 10 cars during his lifetime. He couldn’t see trading vehicles when they were still “good enough.” And when it came to his clothes, linens or towels, unless they wore out totally, they were “good enough, while new clothes and linens or towels would go unused. Lloyd’s needs were simple. During the years of raising a family and working at the hiway department, Lloyd did not hunt or fish, even though his friend George did both and Rick fished. After Lloyd retired, as Rick puts it, his dad became a “born again camper and fisherman.” Lloyd and Veryle started camping in a Volkswagon bus with family and friends. They began spending a great deal of time at Fort Peck, finding a place to camp and fish somewhere along the shore. From the VW bus, they eventually got a large pull type camper that they pulled with a big Chrysler car. Then they got a pick-up to pull the camper, and a john boat that Lloyd loaded on top of the pick-up. The john boat was quite small and had the “motor from hell”. Lloyd had to pull until his hands were raw and blistered to start it, but Lloyd was stubborn and he made it work, even if he had to row. And always around the campsite, the guitar would come out and the music would begin. One summer, Lloyd and Veryle spent 65 days camping. They loved it! A fishing story that Rick loves to tell on his Dad is of being out in the boat and getting the fishing lines ready. Lloyd was quietly sitting and meticulously rigging up bottom bumpers. Then Lloyd carefully threaded the nightcrawler on the hook, making sure everything was perfect. Next, he dropped it over the side of the boat. Lloyd sat there, not saying a word. Finally Rick asked him if he was going to let out the line on his pole so his bait and bottom bumpers could go to work catching fish. Lloyd sat quiet a moment longer then said, “I didn’t hook them to my line.” Going camping and fishing is a favorite memory of all the grandchildren. Other favorite memories the grandkids have of spending time with grandpa is of riding the garden tractor, his guitar playing, and big family dinners. Granddaughters Susan and Sheena remember grandpa teaching them to play the piano, or at least trying to. Sheena believes she tried his patience enough for him to know he wasn’t cut out for that job. Susan enjoyed going for drives with grandpa. Lloyd loved to just drive around the countryside and take in the scenery. Many times Susan and grandpa would stop for ice cream. Sheena remembers her grandpa always having Brachs hard candy near his favorite chair, with the flavor of day changing every so often. Sheena tells that Lloyd was a reader, and one of the things he did was to read the newspaper. He would pick it up and read it throughout the day, as he read the entire paper. Sharlie didn’t play piano, but did sing with her grandpa. She and her mother Billie, also laugh when they remember having a weekly meal out with Lloyd on Wednesdays. Billie says he could get there a half hour early, order and begin eating. They could arrive, order, eat their meal, sit for half an hour with Lloyd and just watching him eat. Lloyd ate very slowly. Sharlie says he would close his eyes and savor every bite. A favorite holiday memory for Sheena was Christmas Eve. The food would be set on the large wood table and left there all evening. There would be music and singing and the family would just go back and forth to the table to eat between all the festivities. Veryle would make caramels and a special divinity for Lloyd. For Sheena it was a warm and wonderful time. Granddaughter Susan characterized her grandfather as a sweet, loving and sentimental man. She felt her grandparents stayed in love and noticed how they always took care of each other. Lloyd remained healthy and self-sufficient living on his own until these past few months. Rick looked after him, but Lloyd valued his ability to remain independent. When Lloyd could see that independence coming to an end, his will to live began to wane. And so this strong and steady, talented, well-loved man went quietly into that good night. Lloyd George Henry will be greatly missed by the family and friends whose lives he touched during his 92 years of living and loving. Song introduction: Celebrant Music was an important part of Lloyd’s life. There was a time when Lloyd recorded himself playing a variety of songs on his guitar. Lloyd would record himself playing the rhythm guitar. Then he would record himself play the lead guitar, and combine them on cassette tapes. Lloyd was the only musician on these tapes. Today we have the rare privilege of hearing Lloyd playing one of these recorded songs, called “Five Foot Two”. Accompanying Lloyd today will be his grandson-in-law, Mike Ditchavage, on the banjo. Song: “Five Feet Two” by Lloyd Henry and Mike Ditchavage Closing: Celebrant The following is dedicated to Lloyd. It is titled “Doing His Best”, written by L.L. Elrod “Doing His Best” “He’s the hard working, thoughtful, and sensitive kind, An honest and warmhearted man… He’s simply a person who’s doing his best To live as well as he can. You’ll probably not see his name up in lights, His goal is not glory or fame. He may not be chosen as man of the year, And not all will remember his name. He most likely values the people he loves And friendship, to him, is a prize. Contentment with life can be seen in his face, And happiness shines in his eyes. He’ll share what he has with someone in need, Find time to help those in distress… He may not be famous, he may not be rich, But at living, this man’s a success.” There are many views about the hope that waits for us in life beyond life, but there is one undeniable and ever present hope we can all share. That is the hope found in memories. “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” (Cesare Pavese) Rick, and all of Lloyd’s family, continue to celebrate Lloyd’s life by remembering those moments with Lloyd that are special to each of you. Hold them close in your hearts and be grateful for the experiences you shared, for they can never be taken from you or from Lloyd. Let those whose lives were touched by Lloyd continue to celebrate his life by sharing your thoughts and memories of Lloyd with Rick and all of Lloyd’s family. Today you have an opportunity to do this. At the reception following Lloyd’s life tribute service, special stationary has been put on the tables for you to write any thoughts or memories you might wish to share about Lloyd. These memories will be a wonderful keepsake for Lloyd’s family to read and treasure. Rick and the family have already been touched by the many people who have commented on what a nice man Lloyd was and how much he will be missed. It was mentioned earlier that one of the important relationships in Lloyd’s life was the bond of friendship he and George Hoffman shared. That bond of friendship does not end with Lloyd’s death. The vessel you see that forever will hold the mortal remains of Lloyd George Henry, was handcrafted with love by George Hoffman. “Death may end a life but it does not end a relationship.” The yellow roses in the vases were put here with Lloyd because yellow roses were Veryle’s favorite flower. As we step out into the driveway for the military honors, remember that Lloyd is a veteran of the United States Army Air Corps. He put his life out there during World War II so all in these United States could remain free; so that each of us could enjoy the freedoms so precious to every citizen. This is a sacrifice not to ever be taken lightly. We thank Lloyd Henry for his time serving these United States. And so we pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Lloyd George Henry. Honor him always by keeping a bit of music in your hearts and souls, and every once in a while… hum a little tune.

Lloyd George Henry

October 11, 1917 - May 1, 2010

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Lloyd George Henry

October 11, 1917 - May 1, 2010

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

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