Helen Lloyd

September 2, 1958-May 11, 2020

Pure Love and Fearless Hope, this was the legacy of Helen Lloyd. How many funerals, weddings, quinceañeras, birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, and masses did she grace with her sweet voice? How many friends and strangers did she support and counsel in their time of need? A life not wasted. A life filled with giving to everyone in her community, which she considered every human being to be.

Helen Herrera Lloyd, beloved by friends and family throughout the world, was best known for her loving heart, ready smile, and angelic voice. Born in San Antonio September 2, 1958 to Irene Herrera Lloyd and Richard Joseph Lloyd, she attended St Phillips College and earned her Bachelors’ Degree from Our Lady of the Lake University, where she majored in Special Early Childhood Development and minored in Mexican American History. She served as a Special Education Para-Professional, a Certified Speech Assistant, American Sign Language interpreter, Assistive Technology Facilitator, Child Find Facilitator, and Speaker & Consultant on Special Education Issues for Professional Development at Edgewood School District for more than 30 years, retiring in 2011. She was renowned for her generous and extensive volunteer work as Music Director at both St. Gabriel’s and St John Berchman’s Catholic Churches, and throughout San Antonio for the many sacraments at which she sang. She also played piano, trumpet, guitar, and was godmother to countless children. She was fluent in English, Spanish, and ASL sign language, and often taught children to perform Christmas songs in ASL.

She is survived by her mother Irene Herrera Lloyd; her brother and sister-in-law Richard & María Lloyd; her sister and brother-in-law Theresa & Robert E. Mejía; her nieces and nephews Sarah & Adam Vega, Kathleen Lloyd, Emily Lloyd, Michael Lloyd, Jessica & Andrew Mejía; great-nephews Charlie & Oliver Vega; Aunt & Godmother Mary Herrera; Aunt & Uncle Helen & Gilbert Aguilar (Houston); numerous aunts & uncles from Philadelphia; dozens of cousins from San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Fort Worth, Michigan, & Philadephia; many many godchildren; students to whom she had lovingly provided lessons in guitar, piano, and driving; and a planet full of friends whom she adopted as family.

Helen had many passions, but first and foremost were her family and friends, and Helen never met a human being whom she did not treat as a friend. After her father’s death, Helen engaged in deep genealogical research, and located many new family members, whom she was always excited to embrace enthusiastically and with whom to develop deep and caring relationships.

She loved singing, painting, photography, astronomy, reading and Korean dramas. She loved to share a good cup of coffee, a taquito, or a glass of wine with friends. She loved all music, new and old, especially Andrea Bocelli, Phoebe Snow, Diana Ross, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Chicago, and the last music she posted on Facebook was a lively Mexican Harp rendition of El Cascabel. Helen traveled to Paris, London, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, and throughout the U.S. She was involved with numerous church and community organizations, ACTS groups, ACTS HIV, ACTS Hope, and De Colores Friends’ Group at St. John Berchman. In the early 80's, she was very involved with the Central American plight and worked with the Oscar Romero group in the Rio Grande Valley.

Helen is now singing her angelic tunes and sharing laughter and conversation with her grandparents, father, uncle, and many many friends in heaven. She is no longer encumbered by any physical limitations and can let her huge heart cover us all with love and care, as she always did while here on earth. We are not sad for her. We are sad for all of us because her laughter and indefatigable, persistent joy will now be heard only when we quiet our hearts enough to hear it in the spiritual legacy she left this world.

The family plans to have a rosary and a funeral mass at a later date, pending safe response to pandemic situations. Condolences were received from as far as Thailand, Italy, New York, Washington D.C., and Mexico City, and included repeated praise of her unconditional love, “I am a better person for having known you”, “You had the biggest heart and gave a little bit of it to everyone you knew”, and “When this angel got to heaven, she was not handed a harp, but a guitar, which she received with her usual smile.” Her last nurse was told a story by her beloved niece Kathleen, about being in New Mexico on top of Sandia Peak “and all we heard there was stories about ‘Ms. Helen from Edgewood.’ LOL! Yup that was her!” Helen Lloyd, Maravillosa, PRESENTE!

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 2:00p.m. at St John Berchmans Catholic Church; 1147 Cupples Rd, San Antonio, TX 78226.