Yvonne Marie (Newell) Lloyd

Yvonne Marie (Newell) Lloyd went home to her Lord & Savior Jesus Christ on Friday, January 30, 2026, while surrounded by her family. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at Kingswood Church, Geneseo.  The visitation will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. before the service.  Reverend Dr. Chris Ritter will officiate.  A private burial will be held  at a later date at Greenview Memorial Gardens, East Moline, IL.  Any memorial donations in Yvonne's memory can be made directly to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, as this was a charity dear to her heart.

Yvonne was born on January 3, 1945, while her father was fighting in France during World War II. Yvonne was the most loving, kind, funny, giving, gracious, and strong woman. Everyone who knew her loved her. She devoted her life to taking care of others. First with her sister and cousins growing up, then raising her 3 children (Cori, Scott & Amy), and lastly by caring for all 7 of her grandchildren as they grew up. Everything Yvonne did centered around being there for her family and doing all she could for them. For her example, we are forever grateful.

In Yvonne’s earlier years, she loved ice skating and roller skating, suntanning, boating and water skiing!  She played the piano and the accordion and was quite the swimmer participating in Synchronized Swimming at her high school. Her eye-catching swim team photo in the yearbook caught the attention of her future husband!  

Yvonne was the ultimate 70’s & 80’s stay at home mom, baking sugar cookies from scratch, decorating them beautifully with the tips and homemade colored frostings. Her cookies were the envy & delight of all the kids in the classroom at Northside! She was also a gifted cake decorator, joking that she was a better baker than cook. She made beautiful ceramics & dolls, hand-painting her dolls’ faces & personally sewing their dresses! Yvonne was known for so many of her talents ~ including being an incredible seamstress & fixer-upper of all her family’s clothing, and crocheting afghans for each of her children and gifting them to her Sorority sisters at their annual Christmas Party! Yvonne made beautiful cross-stitch artwork, cross-stitch blankets, and baby blankets for all of her family. She lovingly made each of her grandkids their own baby blankets and was proud to have made every family member a velvet Christmas stocking, cross-stitched with their name. 

She bowled for years on a Thursday afternoon league, enjoyed going to craft fairs, and especially looked forward to the annual Covered Bridge Festival in Madison County with her sisters every year. She also enjoyed a good Iowa State Fair complete with the butter cow, fried foods and occasionally a concert with her sisters (Brooks & Dunn included). She enjoyed collecting Precious Moments and dolls. She cherished decades of friendship and escapades with her Sorority sisters-of which she especially looked forward to her annual Christmas Grasshopper drink! She loved decorating for the holidays. She loved a good cup of coffee, a DQ chocolate malt with extra malt, coconut shrimp from Red Lobster, and in her later years, some “salt & grease” (referring to her favorite McD’s cheeseburger and fries), as well as blueberry buttermilk bars from the local donut shop. Yvonne loved animals, especially dogs, horses, and cats. Her dogs Rusty & Pinks always held a special place in her heart, and visits from Elliott, Marley & Rocky brought joy to her throughout her last days.

Yvonne’s most precious life’s work was raising kids. She always said she helped raise her sister and cousins, her neighborhood kids, then her kids, and lastly (but most enjoyably we’re sure), her grandkids. She would do anything for her family. She always put them first, no matter what. Ultimately Yvonne was the example of unconditional love and sacrifice for her family. Her decisions throughout her life always centered around being there for her children and grandchildren, and we are all forever changed because of her, forever blessed by her love, and forever grateful for her example.

Yvonne faced the last 13 years with grace, strength, kindness and humor. Traits she carried throughout her entire life. Faced with Parkinsonism, Tia’s, Heart Disease, & vascular dementia, Yvonne knew things weren’t going “to get better.” Even through her final days, her beauty and gentle grace shined through in her interactions with her caregivers. Her smile made us all smile. And even as words became difficult, she could still crack a witty comment and crack up a room with just a look. We love you mama, and we will see you again soon. Until that glorious day …

Left to honor her memory are her children Cori S. (Lloyd) Harris, Richard Scott (Cindy) Lloyd, and Amy M. (Lloyd) (Gerry) Wiyrick.  Grandchildren; Matthew (Kendra) Lloyd, Samuel Harris, Gracelyn Harris, Zoey Harris (Richie Kellums), Hannah Wiyrick, and Hope Wiyrick. Great-grandchildren Zeke Lloyd & Hadley Boaz. Several beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Richard, parents Myron & Evelyn Newell, sisters Bonita Crase and Nancy Sly, and her grandson Brenden Wiyrick. 

Yvonne’s family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the compassionate, amazing staff at Hammond Henry Long Term Care, who have spent the last almost 5 years lovingly caring for Yvonne. They understand person-centered care, and we are grateful for all of their love over the years, and for the little things they did to make her day better such as making sure her earrings were in, Golden Girls marathon was on her TV every Sunday morning, and working overtime until midnight to personally shuttle her to see her granddaughter's leading role performance at the Music Guild. Thank you! Thank you also to the compassionate and loving Hospice Compassus team, also who gave Yvonne & her family such love and attentive care in her final days. And to the many other wonderful caregivers and staff who have loved and cared for Yvonne over the years at Woodridge and Iowa Masonic, we thank you!