Lloyd T. Liken

Lloyd Thomas Liken went missing on Thursday November 16, 2023 shortly after 7:30 p.m. after having supper with friends from church. Lloyd was found April 14, 2024 in a field in Wells County.

Lloyd was born on June 10, 1942 to Lloyd Clifford Liken and Dorothy Deel Brown. Lloyd Thomas also referred to as “Tom” grew up on a farm near Gray, Iowa. He had an older brother Larry. Lloyd Thomas and his brother, Larry, grew up in a strict household. They were taught the value of hard work on the farm. After all their chores were done Lloyd Thomas and Larry were allowed to pursue sports like basketball as they had a basketball court in the loft of their barn.

Lloyd Thomas eventually left home and put himself through college and is a graduate of the University of South Dakota. It was at college where he met the love of his life Gloria Jean Houghtaling from Doland, South Dakota. Lloyd Thomas and Gloria Jean were united in marriage on June 10, 1967. They had one daughter, Lisa, who was born January 12^th of 1969 while Lloyd was serving as a medic in Vietnam.

Lloyd’s service to his country began in May 1968 when the 2^nd Battalion, 133^rd Infantry was mobilized. Men from Sioux City, Lemars, Sheldon, Mapleton and Ida Grove Iowa made up the 863 guardsmen infantry. The group was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Over 500 were deployed to Vietnam with regular Army units. Twelve members of this unit were killed in action with over 60 wounded in action. Lloyd Thomas was one of those wounded in action and received a purple heart.

He was allowed to come home in 1969 as his mother passed away at age 53. It was at this time he got spend time with his baby girl Lisa.

Lloyd Thomas Liken worked for Midland National Life insurance company in Watertown SD in the 1970s. In 1977 Midland National Life moved their operations to Sioux Falls South Dakota. Lloyd was instrumental in that move. He worked for Midland National Life Company until the 1990s when he went to work for Seven Circles Resorts Inc/Prairie Knights Casino near Mandan, North Dakota. He worked for Prairie Knights until he retired in 2009.

Lloyd Thomas was an excellent softball pitcher, an avid golfer, a tennis player, and a boxer. In 2019 he got to see his beloved New York Yankees play for the first time.

He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Liken Monroe, and her husband, Chad, and his grand dogs, Jerry and Nacho.

Upon his death Lloyd Thomas was united in heaven with the love of his life Gloria Jean Houghtaling; his mother and dad, Dorothy and Lloyd C. Liken; his brother, Larry Liken, and two infant sisters who died shortly after their birth.

Memorials can be dedicated to one of the following…

1. Badlands Search and Rescue who coordinated the search and rescue efforts for Lloyd.
2. McCabe United Methodist Church who offered space for the search and rescue efforts for Lloyd.
3. ND Veteran’s Cemetery where his beloved wife Gloria is laid to rest.
4. Medora Foundation—one of Lloyd and Gloria’s favorites during the summer.
5. University of South Dakota School of Business
6. 
   

Thank you to the many coworkers and volunteers who searched for my dad, the employers who let us take time away from our jobs to search, those who provided monetary donations, food and water for the volunteers, the pilots that flew their planes to search and the fisherman who searched the waters for dad.