Mr. Lloyd Herchel DeVaughn, 95, of Florence died on Thursday, June 4, 2015 at Glenwood Center of a heart condition, surrounded by the love of his family. Elkins Funeral Home, 1535 Hermitage Drive, Florence, is in charge of funeral arrangements. Visitation is Thursday, June 11, from noon to 2 p.m. with the funeral to follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Pastor David Rushlow, family friend and Chaplain, Hospice of the Shoals, Florence, will conduct the service. Pallbearers will be great nephews, cousins, and close family friends. Musicians will be nieces. Burial will follow the funeral at Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens on Florence Boulevard in Florence. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice of the Shoals, a Florence non-profit organization that provides excellent, experienced end of life care regardless of one''s ability to pay. The address is 115 Fairground Road, Florence, AL 35630. Another charity of one''s own choosing will also be appreciated.

Lloyd was born at home near rural Mantachie, MS, to William Thomas and Lorena Morris DeVaughn. He attended Mantachie Grammar School and graduated from Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton, MS, in 1939. He was a farm boy and learned agriculture, animal care, and carpentry from his father and older brothers. He knew the names and characteristics of the plants and animals of field, farm, and forest and later taught these to his children. He had dogs, cats and a pet crow for which he was responsible. His greatest lifelong loves were music, fishing, and gardening, and he became expert in each one in his youth. He attended church with his family at Tombigbee Missionary Baptist Church, joined at age 14 when he became a Christian, and was a lifetime member. In his late teens he became song leader, serving in that capacity for several years. Lloyd was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. He was in a high school band, vocalizing, and playing acoustic bass and guitar. After high school he joined the well known Hayden Moore Orchestra of Tupelo, MS, which played venues in North Mississippi and the Memphis, Tennessee area. They broadcast from WREC Radio station in Memphis on occasion. Lloyd joined the Soil Conservation Corp in 1940. Before his service to the Soil Conservation Corp ended he went to a house party with a friend and met the love of his life, Dorothy Alline Bryson, from the Baldwyn, MS area. They were married in April 1941, and spent over 65 devoted years together. Lloyd continued in the orchestra and with carpentry jobs to support the family. A baby boy, Joe Thad, was born prematurely on December 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, but the baby had respiratory distress which resulted in his tragic death a few days later.

When the US entered World War II fellow band members were drafted into the military. Lloyd attempted to join; taking flight lessons to be a pilot, but was declared ineligible due to being deaf in one ear. A new baby girl, Carolyn Jannette, was born in August 1943, and Lloyd landed a job with Ford Motor Company in Memphis, TN a short while later. Ford converted from auto assembly to production of Pratt and Whitney airplane engine parts in 1942 for the war effort. Lloyd soon learned his job and became leader of his section. After the company converted back to auto assembly in 1946 Lloyd continued his career with Ford, spending many years as a supervisor in the Memphis plant. In July 1946, the family welcomed a baby boy, John Richard. Lloyd joined the West Memphis, Arkansas Volunteer Fire Department and was a member until the family left that area. When the Memphis Ford Plant closed in June 1958 Lloyd transferred to the position of supervisor over the afternoon shift in the piston department at Ford Aluminum Foundry in the Shoals. The family soon joined him to establish their home in Florence. Lloyd bought a boat and developed fishing buddies who regularly fished area lakes, developing expertise in catching Small Mouth Bass. He and his friends were founding members of the local Bass Masters Club, fishing many local tournaments. He took his children to Shoals Creek every weekday morning that first summer in Florence to teach them to water ski and built a floating dock where the family and their friends could enjoy picnics and lazy summer days. Until the children left home they spent many such wondrous days in this way. Throughout the childhood and youth of his children, he played his acoustic instruments and sang to them and asked them to sing along.

Our father and mother taught us the virtues of kindness, compassion, humility, and empathy, as well as to help the poor, the disenfranchised, and the oppressed. These were lessons they knew would set the course of our lives. They, as well as our extended family, made sure we were brought up in church and taught us to believe in Jesus.

After Lloyd''s retirement from Ford he pursued his hobbies more enthusiastically. He joined a CB club in the 1970''s and joined a daily men''s coffee group made up of friends who went to breakfast at Shoney''s. Later, when Shoney''s closed, the group met at Burger King or Jack''s until all the members except Lloyd died. As age and infirmity advanced, Lloyd abandoned fishing but still gardened with the help of special friend, George Scarlett. They spent many happy hours together, with George doing the labor and Lloyd "supervising". Lloyd never lost his zest and love of life and was thankful for everyday, even after his "little bride" died in 2007. He always kept singing and whistling and listening to music, even after he could no longer play his guitar, and he especially loved the Gaithers and the songs they wrote.

Lloyd was preceded in death by his parents, his wife and their first child; his baby brother, Roy, and four other brothers and their wives all of the Mantachie, MS area: Clarence and Marie, Foster and Beulah, Milburn and Louise, and Morris and Lera Mae DeVaughn; brother-in-law, Melvin Bryson; uncle and aunt, George and Lala DeVaughn; nephews, Ronnie Bryson and Bill DeVaughn; nieces, Hazel Dillard, Nell Blaylock, and Sue Frederick; first cousins, Dan, Herman, Paul and Carlyn DeVaughn, Jewel Mabry and Tula Frilick.

He is survived by his daughter, Carolyn D. Breakfield; son and wife, John Richard and Toni Lyles DeVaughn; beloved grandson, Michael Scott Breakfield, all of Florence; sister-in-law, Anne Bryson; nieces, Betty Ann Scarbrough, and Shirley Carol Bryson, of the Meridian, MS area; Jean Young, Faye Woods, Ann Little, Jeanne Wesson, and Nancy Whitehead, of the Tupelo, MS area; a host of loving great nieces and nephews; cousins, special longtime friends, George and Susie Scarlett and their children, Mary Beth and Jeff; former neighbors, Bob and Cindy Thornton; and other special friends and neighbors that were all greatly loved.

Thanks to First Methodist Church of Florence for their ministry of prayer, visits, and regular greeting cards filled with hope and encouragement which uplifted Dad so much. The children of First Methodist also regularly sent homemade items to Dad, and he loved those, keeping them close by his chair. The family thanks Dr. Ricky Irons and his staff for the years of excellent care he provided our father. Thanks also to Dr. Therese Lango, Cardiologist; to Colbert County Home Health for several years of tender care which prolonged Dad''s ability to remain at home as long as possible. We are especially grateful to Shelia Woods Creasy for housekeeping, cooking, and sitter services which she provided our Dad over several years, and to Sherry Faires who later joined Shelia in those efforts. They are now considered members of our family. In the last few months of Dad''s life he lived in Glenwood Center, Florence, and we thank the medical directors and all other nursing home staff who worked with our father for the loving care provided him. Those who worked with Dad and the family on the last night of his life could not have done more than they did to provide end of life comfort care to him, and we will cherish this memory always. We are thankful that on the last day he told everyone he saw how much he loved and was grateful for his long and fulfilled life, for having had loving parents and a family of his own, for whom he was so proud. We are thankful to God that Dad was allowed long years to experience spiritual growth, maturity, and loving, kind and humorous ways. We will miss him always but will remember him as a strong life force who knew the meaning of hard work and loving his family, as well as living life to the fullest.