The Rev. James Lloyd Edwards (‘74), 1941-2022
The Rev. James Lloyd Edwards (‘74) died at his home on Monday, February 22, 2022, after an extended illness. Fr. Edwards is survived by his beloved wife, Curry; his son, Brooks of Boykin, South Carolina; and his grandsons, Mitchell and Peyton Edwards, both serving in the United States Air Force. He also leaves behind his stepchildren and other grandchildren, Bill Verner and his son, Dash, of Durham, North Carolina; and Curry Verner and her children, Duffie and Curry Vinci, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; as well as two “grandchildren of choice”, Gabbie and Myles Baker Vinci also of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In addition, he is survived by his cousin, the Rev. Kay Reynolds of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Fr. Lloyd was born in Morgan City, Louisiana, in 1941. He attended public schools in Alexandria, and received a B.S. from Louisiana State University in 1963 and a Ph.D. in physics from LSU in 1971. He was Assistant Professor of Physics at East Tennessee State University from 1968-1971. Later, he taught in the mathematics department at the University of Tennessee and taught Comparative Religion, Introduction to Biblical Studies, and Introduction to Religion at Midlands Technical College, Columbia, South Carolina.
He studied at Nashotah House and graduated with an M.Div. in 1974. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1974 and to the priesthood in 1975. He served at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Nashville, Tennessee; St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church, Knoxville, Tennessee; Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia, South Carolina; and retired from Church of the Cross, Columbia, South Carolina.
Lloyd was the author of three books, Discerning your Spiritual Gifts; How We Belong, Fight, and Pray: Using the MBTI to Understand Congregational Dynamics; and A Place to Breathe: Creating the World God Intended and Still Does. He was a passionate classical and blues pianist and found great joy in his family, his vocation, his friends, and his music.
People who loved him would tell you that none of these facts would begin to capture the depth and breadth of who he was: brilliant, funny, faithful, intellectually and spiritually curious. He would work physics problems for fun and then tell silly jokes that would make his grandchildren roll their eyes. He always thought the jokes were funnier than they did. He built a boat that actually floated and built half of another one. He loved the members of Church of the Cross and they returned that love, and of course he loved his red truck and a good bowl of gumbo.
Lloyd never forgot his Louisiana roots. Of all his accomplishments, he may have been proudest of being a member of the LSU Tiger marching band during college. So to Lloyd, all those who love him say “March on, March on, Lloyd, to Glory Land and laissez les bon temps rouler!”
The memorial service for Lloyd was held privately on February 26, 2022.