This past weekend, the Lloyd family patriarch—Jack Lloyd—passed at the age of 89, just a few weeks prior to his 90th birthday. From the first moment I met Jack, more than 32 years ago, Jack was an absolute original who was never uncomplicated.
A medical device innovator, Jack started companies like Nellcor, Humphrey Instruments, and Alere Medical—start-ups that yielded the pulse oximeter (measuring oxygen saturation and heart rate—a staple in all medical offices and hospitals), the peripheral vision machine you look into at your ophthalmologist’s office, and point-of-care diagnostic tests.
His most recent venture at SafeinHome empowers independent living for adults with developmental disabilities through remote support staff and assistive technology. My husband, Tim Lloyd, really cherished working with Jack for so many years to make this vision a reality.
Jack was always quick-witted, coining sayings like “too clever by half” and “there’s a woman and a dog for every man”, which were among the many phrases he used to quip about the issues on any given day.
He found the political process quite silly most of the time, and we had many discussions about how Congress should work and the motivation Presidential candidates had for entering the ring.
Never one to believe that lawmaking needs to be like sausage-making, Jack always had a simple solution to passing budgets and laws that didn’t involve marathon filibusters or protracted, unnecessary discussions. He saw most political posturing as a waste of time—with the social media revolution only permitting poor behavior by those who favor the limelight over solutions to today’s problems.
Whether it was teaching us how to cook—his way—or the proper way to load the dishwasher after a holiday meal for 40, Jack never let up. Not once. He was determined, methodical and ready to tackle any and every project he took on.
The things that stick out to me most recently are the special times he had with grandchildren and precious moments with his one true love, Lynne Lloyd.
Whether it was financial planning, engineering fast cars, who’s the most “bossy” in the Lloyd family, special relativity and time compression, or simply going through his wedding album memories, Jack thrived on having family around him and the chaos that ensued.
My father-in-law was an American original for sure. I will miss his lessons, his wittiness, and his compassion and loyalty to family greatly. 🙏 🩷
Judy Lloyd is a California-based public and government affairs strategist, CEO of Altamont Communications Strategies, and host of the Purple Inspiration Podcast.