Clear, 36° F
(Feb. 17, 1926 - Dec. 20, 2012)
Lloyd Gordon Johnson, 86, of Cody, died peacefully on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 at West Park Hospital Long Term Care Center.
He was born to Edwin and Afton Huffman Johnson on Feb. 17, 1926 in Georgetown, Idaho. He was the middle child in a family of seven children. The Johnson family lived on a ranch by the nearby Bear River. They were a happy family and loved the ranch life and the great outdoors. Lloyd was especially fond of horses. As a teenager, Lloyd and his cousin Arthur used to pack up some provisions and they would head to the local mountains on horseback for days at a time.
When Lloyd was 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After completing his basic training in Fort Lewis, Wash., he was sent to Japan. He served with the U.S. Army of Occupation there until World War II ended in 1945.
After returning to Idaho, Lloyd signed up at a flight school and obtained his private pilot’s license. He considered a career in aviation for a time but decided to take up a career in agriculture instead. He worked at a ranch for most of his life. For a short time he owned a trucking company with his brother Dean and they did long-distance hauling in the U.S. and Canada.
In 1957, Lloyd married Catherine Chaser from Poplar, Mont. They had three sons: Gordon, Robert and Jimmy. In 1976, Catherine died in a car accident, leaving Lloyd with three teenage sons. Nearly three years later, Lloyd married Vietta Clifford and gained two stepchildren, Tara and Mark.
Lloyd and Vietta lived on several ranches in the Cody area. In 1982, they moved up to Vietta’s home province of Alberta, Canada. They lived there for 10 years. After retirement from ranching, Lloyd and Vietta moved back to Cody where Lloyd took up a job as a floor guard at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. He worked there until he was 83.
Lloyd is survived by his loving wife Vietta; three sons: Robert (Naomi) Johnson of McLaughlin, S.D., Gordon Johnson of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Jimmy Johnson of Cody; stepdaughter Tara (Mike) Styers of Big Lake, Alaska; stepson Mark (Shannon) Allan of Castaic, Calif.; three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He also has one surviving sister, Helen Fordin of Elko, Nev.
Lloyd was preceded in death by his first wife Catherine, his parents and five brothers and sisters.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Dec. 27 at 10 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Stake Center on 1407 Heart Mountain Street in Cody with Bishop Jeff Rudolph presiding. Viewing will be held the hour prior in the Relief Society Room.
Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery with military honors provided by the VFW Honor Guard.
An online memorial is available at www.ballardfh.com.
