Lloyd R. Mead
Lloyd R. Mead, age 92, of Kearney, passed away Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at Hilltop Estates in Gothenburg.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 4, at the O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney.
Interment will be held at the Wood River Cemetery with military honors provided by the Gibbon/Shelton American Legion Post #310 in conjunction with the Nebraska National Guard Funeral Honors Team.
A reception at the Wood River Community Center will follow the burial.
Please make memorial donations to National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and American Kidney Fund (AKF).
Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services.
Lloyd Ronald Mead was born on March 21,1934, to Ronald Elmer Mead and Gladys Faye (Roberts) on a farm southeast of Wood River.
Lloyd grew up in the Wood River area as the oldest of seven children.
He spent his early years helping on the farm and working in his father’s blacksmith shop in Wood River. His closest childhood companion was his sister Ruthie.
Lloyd enjoyed playing football, basketball and track, and was known by many as “Eat ’em up Eats.” He graduated from Wood River Rural High School in 1952. He also competed in skating competitions and was skilled in many daring tricks.
Lloyd was drafted in 1954 and served two years in the United States Army.
On April 23, 1957, he married Marlene Forst. This union brought three children: Kalvin, Kindra, and Kenny. Lloyd was a hard worker and a man of many skills. Over the years he farmed, drove a fuel truck, worked with the Farmers Co-op, and spent time at Chief Industries in Grand Island before settling into a long career with Eaton Corporation in Kearney. He was the first Eaton employee to retire with 25 years of service and earned the reputation of being, “a hell of a welder.”
Lloyd lived and raised his family in Shelton, before moving to Kearney in 1996. He raised Black Angus cattle on a farm north of Shelton for 21 years. After retiring, he enjoyed attending country music festivals and traveling.
He is survived by his former wife, Marlene Mead; partner, Doris Vanvleet; his three children, Kalvin, of Shelton, Kindra Shiers, of Gibbon, and Kenny (Diane) Mead, of Holdrege; grandchildren, Kalyn (Anthony) Krotz, of Wheatland, Wyoming, Autumn (Michael) Pena, of Shelton, Derek (Carrie) Mead, of Grand Island, Tyler (Hillary) Shiers, of Wood River, and Steven Mead, of Holdrege; great-grandchildren, Zailey and Katriel Krotz, Micaiah and Annaiah Pena, and Kedrek Mead, of Grand Island, and McKinleigh Norton and Emmett Shiers; siblings, Ruth Schuller, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Charles (Judy) Mead, of Wood River, Beth (Cletus) Dobish, of Lincoln, and Ronnie (Terri) Mead, of North Platte; sisters-in-law, Ellen Mead, of Norfolk, and Sue Mead, of Wood River; as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Lloyd is preceded in death by his parents, Ronald and Gladys Mead; brothers, Merle and George Mead; brother-in-law, Ron Schuller; son-in-law, Lonnie Shiers; daughter-in-law, Marilyn Mead; and special friend, Deanne Svoboda.