CYRIL LLOYD. MIDDLE GRANVILLE, WASHINGTON COUNTY, NEW YORK.
CYRIL LLOYD, born in Rhostryfan, Gwynedd, North Wales, the son of John and Mary Lloyd, was well known to Welsh audiences in the United Kingdom at the age of 12 as a member of the Lloyd Family Broadcasting Group.After serving with the Royal Air Force during World War II, he studied with the distinguished British tenor Heddle Nash at the Royal Manchester College of Music. He has performed many leading roles in opera, oratorios, concerts and lieder as well as under such conductors as Sir Thomas Beecham and Sir Malcolm Sargent, and he conducted Gymanfa Ganu in the United States. On an early visit to America to New York City during a performance tour, he met Jani Roberts of New York City , who became his bride.
Mr. Lloyd was known to many throughout his lifetime for his love and knowledge of the music of Wales, which he heartfully shared in performances as tenor soloist, in duets, with choral groups, as conductor of gymanfa ganu events, and with Welsh language teaching sessions for students of all ages.
Mr. Lloyd retired from the World Bank and following many years of residency in McLean, Virginia, he and Jani relocated in 1988 and settled in Granville, New York not far from Jani's family homestead in South Poultney, Vermont.
He and his wife Jani were members of the St. David's Society of Washington, D.C. and of the Poultney Area St. David's Society. In retirement, they were active members of the community; in Peniel Presbyterian Church; in the Area Chorus with the late Dr. Ruth Douglass, in many special events with accompanists Ruth Czar and the late Chester Jones, and with the Slate Valley Museum.
And, Mr. Lloyd was often a teacher to vocal students encouraging and aiding their understanding and appreciation of Welsh music and the language.
Mr. Lloyd is survived in the United Kingdom by his sister, Agnes and brother Merion Lloyd and several nieces and nephews in the UK and Canada. He was predeceased in 2005 by his wife, Jani and in 2009, by their only child, son John Robert Lloyd. He was also predeceased by his parents as well as sisters Megan and Betty and brother Bryn Lloyd.
A service In Celebration of the Life of Cyril Lloyd was held May 8th at Peniel Presbyterian Church officiated by the Reverend Jerry McKinney, and attended by family from the United Kingdom and by many Slate Valley friends. Committal service was held in Elmwood Cemetery, Middle Granville, New York , where Mr. Lloyd is interred with his wife and son.
A favorite hymn of Mr. Lloyd's which he often performed in the Welsh language for audiences in the Vermont / New York Slate Valley was, Pwy Fydd Yma 'mhen can mlynedd. (When A Hundred Years Have Gone), written by Ernest Llwyd Williams (1906-1960), minister, poet and writer and first published in 1943.