Lloyd Francis Thompson, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and dear friend passed away July 20, 2025. A Memorial Celebration of his life will be held at 1:00pm, Saturday, August 16, 2025 at Feigum Funeral Home with inurnment taking place at a later date at Black Hills National Cemetery.
Lloyd was born March 1, 1930 in Gregory, SD to Judd and Rosa (Klappal) Thompson. His family moved to Nebraska in 1934 where Lloyd graduated from North Bend High School in 1947.
Upon high school graduation, Lloyd worked several odd jobs in North Bend and eventually moved to Winner, SD in 1948. There he apprenticed as a sheet metal fabricator and plumber and joined the 196th Infantry of the SD Army National Guard. In 1951 he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Lloyd did his Air Force basic training in Texas, and was trained as a weapons mechanic at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado. Upon graduation he was assigned to Kimpo Air Force Base, South Korea, 67th Tactical Recon Wing, 45th T.R. Squadron, Operation Firefly. While in Korea, Lloyd participated in 76 combat missions. He was later assigned to Edwards Air Force Base in California where he continued to work on aircraft weapons systems. He was transferred to the active reserve in November of 1953 and was discharged from the Air Force in October of 1964. Lloyd was a proud USAF veteran.
After his USAF active duty, Lloyd enrolled in the SD School of Mines and Technology, and later transferred to and graduated from South Dakota State University. His first job out of college was with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks as a game warden for Lyman and Jones counties. It was during this assignment that he met and married Alvena Dreier. Lloyd spent 25 years with the SDGF&P eventually rising to the position of the department’s Deputy Secretary. Lloyd retired from the SDGF&P in 1987 and for a brief time owned and managed the Sears catalog store in downtown Pierre.
Throughout his life Lloyd loved the outdoors and thoroughly enjoyed his time spent on and along the Missouri River fishing for walleyes and hunting geese with his friends and family.
Lloyd was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Alvena, his brother Eugene, and his grandson Cole. Lloyd is survived by two sons: Todd and Trent (Mary); a daughter Michaela (Jakeb) Novak; two granddaughters: LeighAnn (Paul) Dees and Mischelle (Chandler) Sutphin; two grandsons: Graham and Miles Novak; and great-granddaughter Joanna Sutphin.
In lieu of flowers remembrances may be directed to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
