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Lloyd Melton Hale, 73, of Bullard, Texas, passed away on January 5, 2021, surrounded by his loving wife of 33 years, Donna, son Matthew, and daughter Angela. He was born April 26, 1947, in Tyler, Texas.
Lloyd graduated from John Tyler High School, and at the age of 19, he enlisted into the US Air Force. Sergeant Lloyd Hale was a Radar and Fire Control Technician working on the F-4 Phantom Jets. He served 11 months near the DMZ in Korea after the capture of the USS Pueblo. Lloyd also served 12 months in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. During his military career, he received several commendations and was proudest of The Air Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service.
After serving his country, he returned to Tyler and later began his career at Brookshire Grocery Company. He served in many positions at the Tyler corporate office and ended his 33-year career as the Director of Corporate Scanning. He earned the respect of many and was considered a man of integrity by all who worked with him.
Lloyd played competitive racquetball, raced motocross, golfed, and sailed. He was never tired of learning new things and loved to share what he knew with others. He and Donna, built beautiful butterfly gardens at their home and raised monarch butterflies, receiving certification as a Moarch Waystation.
Lloyd and Donna worked hard but knew when to have fun. They both enjoyed traveling, and their favorite vacations included snow skiing, scuba diving, and sailing. Their scuba diving adventures took them around the world to places like Indonesia and Belize. Lloyd came to accept Christ later in life, and his whole life changed. He and Donna became active members at Flint Baptist Church, where he was always a willing servant, including becoming part of the FBC security team. His passions filled him with peace and joy, and he was always making friends along the way.
Lloyd is survived by his wife, Donna Smith Hale of Bullard, Texas; son and fiancé, Matthew Hale and Jennifer Smith of Lindale, Texas; daughter and son-in-law, Angela and Michael Jester of Dallas, Texas; son, Josh Henderson of Bullard, Texas; son, Todd Hale of Los Angeles, California; sister and brother-in-law, Sharon and Wayne Caddell of Llano, TX and six beautiful grandchildren. Mr. Hale was preceded in death by his daughter, Kristen Rainier, and parents, Nell and Lloyd Hale.
A memorial service will be held at Flint Baptist Church in Flint, Texas, at 3PM on Friday, January 15, 2021. The family requests, out of love and concern for all, masks be worn upon entering the church and social distance be maintained in the sanctuary. For those unable to attend, we will be streaming the services via the Flint Baptist Church’s weblink www.flintbc.online.church @3pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Flint Baptist Church Missions Fund.
.~posted by Ramon
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James Shields
When Lloyd joined the Air force at 19, I was knee deep at TJC and spending a lot of time at the Baptist Student Union. Close to when Lloyd got out of the Air Force, I was headed to Vietnam. It is indeed a small world, but at times it is huge and one can get lost in its vastness. I feel that this is what happened to Lloyd and I. I lived on Baker Dr. and Lloyd lived, I believe on Lee St.. Both inside the neighborhood of Hwy 69 and Hwy 110. Lee was the street that Coach Coleman lived with Coach's house and ours sharing an alley. Lloyd and I were friends but never what I would call really close. Of course I lost contact with him after graduation and once I left TJC, my parents move to Mt. Pleasant, Texas. My military career kept me away from Tyler for 4 years and then I was at ETSU for 2 years then on to graduate school (SHSU) and TDC for a year. After TJC and a semester at SFA, I never lived in Tyler again. Once I settled in Carrollton with my law enforcement career, I visited Tyler as much as possible and made most of the reunions. The only one that I recall missing is the one at a Country Club. I always considered our class to be 90% middle class with 5% being affluent (rich) and 5% close to povert. I was very middle class and had never been to nor wanted to go to a Country Club so I skipped that year. I still do not like to dress up but will for funerals and weddings. I like the reunions where you wear your casual clothes ( for me cargo shorts and a colorful t-shirt), feel comfortable with your surroundings (like the Holiday Inn) and enjoy the company of your fellow graduates. I do not remember seeing Lloyd at too many reunions and never realized that he spent so many years with Brookshires. Had I known, It would have been so easy to pop in on him at work and perhaps plan an after work activity during the next week. Another regret but at this age, I have come to realize that life is full of regrets. It looks like Lloyd live a full life and probably had so much to cherish with career and family. RIP Lloyd