Lloyd R Leveridge

Lloyd R. Leveridge, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, passed away in Oklahoma City on May 20, 2018, due to complications that occurred during a heart procedure. His life was one of deep devotion, faith and service to his family, his friends, his employees and anyone in need. Lloyd, the third of four children born to Seymour Blackmon and Nettie Irene Leveridge, was born on February 18, 1929, on a farm near the town of Wayne in McClain County, Oklahoma. A child of both the Depression and the Dust Bowl, he shared memories of outdoor plumbing, water frozen in basins on cold winter mornings and his mother covering her children's faces with wet handkerchiefs, in order to keep them from breathing in the dust that filled the air. In 1935, the family moved to Oklahoma City, where Lloyd's parents briefly managed a tourist court, service station and cafe on NW 39th Street -- which was then old Route 66 -- near Portland Avenue. Thereafter, Lloyd received most of his schooling in the Putnam City School District. In high school, he played football and was named to the National Honor Society. Upon graduation from Putnam City High, he commuted to Norman to attend the University of Oklahoma, graduating from OU with a degree in business management. At age 24, he met Karen Frances Oakes, at a young adult Sunday School class at St. Luke's Methodist Church. The two hit it off immediately and they were wed in Karen's hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma, on October 30, 1954. Lloyd and Karen enjoyed 56 years of love and joy together until Karen passed in 2010. Lloyd cared for Karen in the years leading up to her passing, exhibiting patience, devotion and tenderness throughout her struggle with Alzheimer's, until, in her final months, he finally had no choice but to place her in a facility with full-time care. Even then he spent the better part of his day with her throughout those six months. All who knew and loved Lloyd and Karen can take comfort now that they are reunited. The most giving and unselfish of men, Lloyd dedicated his energy, his time, his love and his life to his family, his friends, his church and the community at large. He sought, first and foremost, what was best for those he loved, what would make them happy, seldom, if ever, giving a thought to himself. And in his final years, he made us all especially proud by devoting his energies to volunteering for organizations that serve the needs of the less fortunate. As a parent, Lloyd led by loving example. He was not afraid to express his emotions and show tenderness. He taught his children and grandchildren to love, to laugh, and sometimes to cry. He had the unending devotion of all of his children and grandchildren and a great many of their friends who came to think of Lloyd as a sort of second father/grandfather, and his legacy lives on in the devoted, loving and attentive parents his children and their children have become. Lloyd was a well-respected Oklahoma City businessman for decades. The car dealership he owned with Blackie, as his father was known, began as a used-car dealership, but in the mid-1950s, Lloyd and Blackie sold American Motors cars for a year. In 1956, they signed on as dealers of Volvo, a Swedish car that was then being introduced in the United States. The first Volvo they took delivery on was one of the first seven Volvos sent to the United States. In the early years, Lloyd and Blackie also sold other makes of foreign cars, but Volvo was always the featured line. By 1976, Leveridge Imports was exclusively a Volvo dealership, and by the mid-1980s, it was the oldest continuously operating Volvo dealership in the United States Lloyd was admired by his customers and his employees for his keen sense of fairness and loyalty. Anyone who bought a car from or was an employee of Lloyd Leveridge was treated respectfully and given a fair shake in their dealings with him, and both his customers and employees remained loyal to him through the years. Lloyd was also active in community and civic affairs. In 1982, Governor George Nigh appointed Lloyd to what was then a new seven-member board of education created to oversee the operation of Oklahoma City Vocational-Technical District 22. Nigh also turned to Lloyd in 1985, appointing him to serve on the State Board for Property and Casualty Rates, which regulated the insurance industry, and Lloyd also served at Nigh's request as chairman of the Workers' Compensation Review Committee. A downturn in the state's economy forced Lloyd to sell his business in 1989. It was a tough blow to withstand, but Lloyd's faith and positive outlook kept him going. He worked for a while in the membership department at the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and then for more than a decade as a sales associate for J. C. Penney His outlook remained positive and his work ethic strong, and he was highly regarded by his colleagues and supervisors. A lifelong member of the Methodist Church, Lloyd was active in several area congregations, from St. Luke's to Hillcrest Methodist, Chapel Hill United Methodist, and, for the past 30-plus years, United Methodist Church of the Servant. After Karen's passing, Lloyd was comforted and inspired by the faith community at Church of the Servant and he remained an active member there until the end. In his final years, Lloyd was a dedicated volunteer for three organizations he cared deeply about: The Skyline Urban Ministry's Eye Clinic, which provides low-cost or free eyeglasses and eye exams to dozens of people every month who would otherwise not able to afford them; Whiz Kids, Church of the Servant's faith-based tutoring/mentoring program that caters to the educational, spiritual, physical and emotional needs of inner city children from 1st to 6th grade; and The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the largest hunger-relief charity in the state. Those wishing to honor Lloyd's memory are encouraged to donate to one of these charitable organizations, or another worthy cause of your choosing, in lieu of flowers. Lloyd is survived by his four children, Tony Leveridge, Brett Leveridge, Kim Leveridge, and Julie Stafford; his daughter-in-law, Marci Leveridge; his seven grandchildren, Larissa Madore and her husband, Brad, Robert Leveridge and his wife, Shannon, Matthew Leveridge and his wife, Shelley, Eric Leveridge and his partner, Amy Drew, Kayla Wilson and her husband, Gene, Amanda Mitten and her husband, Clark, and Jerrod Stafford; and his 10 great-grandchildren, Asher Leveridge, Evan Madore, Reuben Leveridge, Elise Madore, Caleb Leveridge, Ethan Madore, JaNaya Wilson, Ari Wilson, Magdalena Leveridge, and Chelsea Leveridge; his sister Marilyn Mohr and her husband, Floyd, and a large extended family who will all miss him dearly. Services will be held on Saturday, May 26, at 10:00 A.M., at United Methodist Church of the Servant, 14343 North MacArthur. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lloyd R Leveridge please visit our Sympathy Store.