In Memory Of
Lloyd L. Spring
1923
2020
Lloyd L. Spring
December 4, 1923 — February 6, 2020
Lloyd Leland Spring was born in Brooks, Iowa, December 4, 1923 to Luella (Swim) and William Spring. He passed away February 6, 2020, at the age of 96.
Lloyd faced many challenges in his life. He always faced those challenges with a very strong determination and attitude. That resulted in what all of the family described as a "very tough" person who was capable of facing any adversity.
His mother died when he was 12 and he then lived with family members for the next several years. He was always a very hard worker including working at the family service station as a boy and later driving a commercial truck.
He married Jean LaNita Kretzinger on July 3, 1943. They later divorced.
On July 18, 1944, when he was 21 years old, he was inducted into 330th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division. He joined the Battle of the Bulge in January, 1945, as they marched through the Ardennes. It appears that he joined the battle somewhere around Liege, Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge was among the most horrific battles in WWII. Not only was the battlefield a killing zone, but the weather was terrible.
The following quote from a pamphlet titled; "The Story of the 330th Infantry Across Europe" tells a bit about the conditions they faced.
The newspapers called it the "Ardennes", the "Breakthrough", or the "Bulge". But we in the line didn't describe it with such polite terms. We called it all the foul, vile things that it really was. It wasn't fighting only an enemy flushed with sudden victory; it was fighting the weather as well. It was Valley Forge, edition of 1945. Clothing froze on bodies, weapons failed to function. Feet turned black and purplish from trench foot. Any wound was serious. If you fell, you froze. The only covering for the dead was a blanket of snow. But we kept going forward, as usual.
Lloyd was honorably discharged from the Army on March 11, 1946. Among his many medals was the Bronze Star for singlehandedly charging an enemy bunker to secure badly needed firearms and ammunition--another example of how tough Lloyd was.
Lloyd returned to Corning, Iowa, and worked as a farmhand for a while. He then joined his brother in a trucking business (Spring Brothers Trucking).
In 1950, he began his farming career. Farming in those days was very difficult and the farmer had to endure terrible weather conditions in tractors that did not have cabs and harvesting crops with very primitive equipment by today's standards.
In February, 1960, Lloyd and the family moved to Denver. They had a very limited budget (money from the farm sale). Lloyd did not have a job but quickly began working in a series of manual labor jobs. After a few months he began working for the postal system. Late in 1960 he was hired by the National Archives and Records Administration. He retired from that service in January, 1987. In addition to working for the government, Lloyd worked at Centennial Race Track for many years in order to build up a Social Security account.
After he retired, Lloyd enjoyed many years of traveling in his motorhome and boating with friends and family.
We remember Lloyd as a very proud man (he was especially proud of his military service) and a person we would describe as "tough as nails". We never heard him complain about the realities he faced in his life, including the last few years.
He will be deeply missed by his family. He is survived by his children: Pat (Jim) Shepherd, Judy (Mike) Johnson, Jeffry (Julia) Spring; grandchildren: Lisa (Dan) Kassel, Kelly (Damon) Bergman, Judy (Tom) Jeute, Jeanelle Roberts, Jill (Eugene) Martinez, Shawna (Bryan) Reed; great grandchildren Amanda, Josh, and Brandon Kassel; Madison and Molly Bergman; Thomas, Nathan, and Isabella Jeute; Blake and Jordyn Roberts; Mylee and Jackie Martinez; Kailey and Zoey Reed.
He was preceded in death by his only grandson, Michael C. Spring, a beloved family member, as well as many other loved ones.
Lloyd's graveside service will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2020, at Fort Logan National Cemetery at 10:15 a.m., Staging Area "C"
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to one of the following:
VFW Post 4666
P.O. Box 1031
Littleton, CO 80160
Dignity Hospice of Colorado
400 East 84th Avenue, W-202
Thornton, CO 80229
Please join us for lunch at
Bethany Lutheran Church
4500 East Hampden Avenue
Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113
To send condolences or leave a special message for his family, please visit visit the guestbook below.
Lloyd faced many challenges in his life. He always faced those challenges with a very strong determination and attitude. That resulted in what all of the family described as a "very tough" person who was capable of facing any adversity.
His mother died when he was 12 and he then lived with family members for the next several years. He was always a very hard worker including working at the family service station as a boy and later driving a commercial truck.
He married Jean LaNita Kretzinger on July 3, 1943. They later divorced.
On July 18, 1944, when he was 21 years old, he was inducted into 330th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division. He joined the Battle of the Bulge in January, 1945, as they marched through the Ardennes. It appears that he joined the battle somewhere around Liege, Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge was among the most horrific battles in WWII. Not only was the battlefield a killing zone, but the weather was terrible.
The following quote from a pamphlet titled; "The Story of the 330th Infantry Across Europe" tells a bit about the conditions they faced.
The newspapers called it the "Ardennes", the "Breakthrough", or the "Bulge". But we in the line didn't describe it with such polite terms. We called it all the foul, vile things that it really was. It wasn't fighting only an enemy flushed with sudden victory; it was fighting the weather as well. It was Valley Forge, edition of 1945. Clothing froze on bodies, weapons failed to function. Feet turned black and purplish from trench foot. Any wound was serious. If you fell, you froze. The only covering for the dead was a blanket of snow. But we kept going forward, as usual.
Lloyd was honorably discharged from the Army on March 11, 1946. Among his many medals was the Bronze Star for singlehandedly charging an enemy bunker to secure badly needed firearms and ammunition--another example of how tough Lloyd was.
Lloyd returned to Corning, Iowa, and worked as a farmhand for a while. He then joined his brother in a trucking business (Spring Brothers Trucking).
In 1950, he began his farming career. Farming in those days was very difficult and the farmer had to endure terrible weather conditions in tractors that did not have cabs and harvesting crops with very primitive equipment by today's standards.
In February, 1960, Lloyd and the family moved to Denver. They had a very limited budget (money from the farm sale). Lloyd did not have a job but quickly began working in a series of manual labor jobs. After a few months he began working for the postal system. Late in 1960 he was hired by the National Archives and Records Administration. He retired from that service in January, 1987. In addition to working for the government, Lloyd worked at Centennial Race Track for many years in order to build up a Social Security account.
After he retired, Lloyd enjoyed many years of traveling in his motorhome and boating with friends and family.
We remember Lloyd as a very proud man (he was especially proud of his military service) and a person we would describe as "tough as nails". We never heard him complain about the realities he faced in his life, including the last few years.
He will be deeply missed by his family. He is survived by his children: Pat (Jim) Shepherd, Judy (Mike) Johnson, Jeffry (Julia) Spring; grandchildren: Lisa (Dan) Kassel, Kelly (Damon) Bergman, Judy (Tom) Jeute, Jeanelle Roberts, Jill (Eugene) Martinez, Shawna (Bryan) Reed; great grandchildren Amanda, Josh, and Brandon Kassel; Madison and Molly Bergman; Thomas, Nathan, and Isabella Jeute; Blake and Jordyn Roberts; Mylee and Jackie Martinez; Kailey and Zoey Reed.
He was preceded in death by his only grandson, Michael C. Spring, a beloved family member, as well as many other loved ones.
Lloyd's graveside service will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2020, at Fort Logan National Cemetery at 10:15 a.m., Staging Area "C"
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to one of the following:
VFW Post 4666
P.O. Box 1031
Littleton, CO 80160
Dignity Hospice of Colorado
400 East 84th Avenue, W-202
Thornton, CO 80229
Please join us for lunch at
Bethany Lutheran Church
4500 East Hampden Avenue
Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113
To send condolences or leave a special message for his family, please visit visit the guestbook below.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lloyd L. Spring, please visit our flower store.
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