Lloyd Saunders was the third child of Mattie and Robert Saunders, born in Hardin, Montana on January 3rd, 1931. He grew up fly fishing and bird hunting with his dad and older brother Bob. He described his boyhood as the best parts of "The River Runs Through It" movie, and he loved the great outdoors, which he passed on to his children and grandchildren.
His Grandfather Saunders introduced him to the game of golf and thus began his life-long passion for the sport. He was a stickler for the rules and especially for golf etiquette that he was taught at an early age. Although he was an accomplished athlete, winning the Tournament MVP of the Hardin High School State Champion Basketball team in 1949 (Hardin won back-to-back championships in 1948 and 1949), and being a two-sport athlete in basketball and track at Montana State, golf was the game he excelled at and never grew tired of playing. Lloyd shot his age for 18 holes well into his 80s and he qualified twice for the USGA Senior Amateur Golf Championship. He served on the Board of Directors of the Montana Senior Golf Association for many years.
He was extremely proud that his two sons were both college scholarship golfers in New Mexico and that two grandsons followed suit with highly successful college golf careers, both turning professional after graduation. One of Lloyd's greatest thrills in golf came in 1995 when his son, Jack, played an Exhibition Match at the Eagle Bend Golf Course in Bigfork, Mt. with Jack Nicklaus, Jack Nicklaus, Jr., and Lon Hinkle. He spent many happy hours talking about golf at Golf Mart in Albuquerque, a successful retail golf store owned by his son, Dave, for thirty years.
Lloyd was a life-long learner, reading multiple newspapers every day and day-trading his stock portfolio until his final illness. He was an avid student of Western History, particularly the journey of Lewis & Clark. He switched careers mid-life selling his family's lumber yard in Hardin and moving to Gillette, Wyoming to work at the First National Bank, owned by his cousin, Raymond Saunders. Lloyd eagerly jumped into the banking business and was so successful, he ultimately bought a bank in Douglas, Wy. with Raymond.
Lloyd married Shirley Leffler in 1956 and had three children, five grandchildren, and one great grandchild on the way. He was proud that in the family there were seven high school state champions in basketball, golf, and track, including his daughter and her son. All of his children and four grandchildren have college degrees, with the fifth being very close to that achievement, due in part to his and Shirley's generosity and mentoring. He was also a strong supporter of the Bighorn County Historical Museum and belonged to the Masonic Lodge in Hardin and Rotary Club in Gillette.
Later in life, Lloyd enjoyed growing tomatoes, cooking breakfast for family gatherings, talking about politics, and watching his grandchildren play sports. He and Shirley lived in "A House Divided" meaning that they graduated from competing colleges in Montana. This was always an issue during football season, particularly for the annual Cat/Griz Game. Shirley ultimately joined Lloyd as an avid MSU Bobcat fan, sharing great pride in their two beautiful granddaughters who enrolled there with academic scholarships, one of whom is an honor roll Computer Science major and a Bobcat cheerleader, and the other a recent graduate with high honors from the Nursing College.
Lloyd made a mean pot of chili with his secret ingredient, mushrooms. Finally, his favorite possessions were his boat that he enjoyed on Flathead Lake and a Mercedes Benz 560SL Convertible that he drove until he was 89 years old.
The family requests memorials be made to the Bighorn County Historical Museum. A gathering of friends and family to celebrate Lloyd's life will be planned in the summer at a location to be determined.