Lloyd K. Gjovik

Lloyd K. Gjovik, age 84, resident of Pekin, ND, died Sunday, October 15, 2023 at the NCHS Hospital in McVille, ND.

Lloyd Lyder Kjell Gjovik was born November 30, 1938 upstairs at the family farm at Knaben Gard in southern Norway (Agdar).

His home was a short distance from one of two molybdenum mines in the world.  In 1940 his country was invaded by Nazi Germany.  His childhood was spent in captivity by Germany, which made his life very difficult.  His father and all the male members were forced to work in the local mine.  Forced labor to produce much more ore than normal.  As a young boy, he and a cousin, Oge, would sabotage communication lines and disrupt the normal life of the occupying forces.  When the War ended, his family moved to the USA and settled at the RK Holm farm 3 miles south of Pekin, ND.  His father, Leiv Klare Gjovik, and mother, Anna Serena Knaben Gjovik, were cast into a new culture and a new environment.

Lyder has a brother, Aanen, and a sister, Kjellaug, who were part of the journey.  His father, Leiv, left behind his parents, Lars and Caroline, along with two brothers, Knut and Odd, sisters, Marge and Irene.

He had sisters, Ella, Tesse, and Lydia, already in the USA.  Anna left her parents, Aanen and Dorothy Knaben, behind, along with sisters, Marie, Solvieg, Olga, and a brother, Lars.

Lyder began school in a one room country school a mile southwest of the farm and continued through the years to graduate as valedictorian of his class at Pekin, ND.  He then went to Jamestown college for a year, worked on the farm in the summer of 1959, and enlisted in the Air Force that fall.  He went through boot camp in San Antonio, TX.  He graduated top of the class in electronics at Chanute AFB in Illinois.  He became an instrument trouble shooter in jet airplanes and was stationed overseas at Ramstein AFB in Germany.  He also served time in Algeria and Africa.  He was offered pilot training through the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs but turned it down because he wanted to get out and work rather than spend four more years in the service.  He returned to Pekin and enrolled at Mayville State.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude and began his years in education.  He taught English, social studies, and some Math.  He began at Edinburg, ND.  Taught at Hannaford, Alsen, Binford, Bowbells, and Aguillar, Colorado.  He went from classroom to administration with a Master’s in Education from NDSU in Fargo plus another Master's in advanced administration skills.  While in Colorado he helped build a whole new facility K through 12.  This task was his last project prior to full retirement.

Lloyd was a quiet man who was very serious in all that he did.  He was an introvert who must function outside of his comfort zone as an educator.  He was good at what he did because he was patient and conscientious.  While he was at Alsen he hired a music teacher from Minneapolis.  He hired her in August and married her on 28 November 1975.  We all thought of him as a confirmed bachelor.  Lloyd and Nancy raised three children - a daughter, Lisa, who lives in Fargo, ND; a son, Craig, who lives in Peoria, AZ, married to Jenny, and they have two girls, Abby and Kelsie; a son, Kaare, who lives in Pekin, ND, married to Rebeca, and they have three children, Kennedy, Kelby and Keegen.

Lloyd was active in the American Legion and Sheyenne Lutheran church, rural Pekin.  He was preceded in death by his grandparents, his parents, and all his uncles.  He leaves a large family, and this includes many cousins in Norway and North Dakota; brothers, Aanen (Carrol) and Knut Peder (Gail); and sister, Kjellaug (Kenny) Reierson.  Sisters-in-law, Glenda Lee and Janet (Jim) Itnyre; and a brother-in-law, Lance (Deb) Kohlmeyer.

A Memorial Service for Lloyd and Nancy will be held at Sheyenne Lutheran Church, rural Pekin, ND, on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.  Interment will be in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN.