Lloyd Dewitt Bockstruck

Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck, age 73, passed away at Presbyterian Village North in Dallas, Texas May 27, 2018. Lloyd was a distinguished genealogical scholar, librarian, writer, educator, and lecturer. He was born May 26, 1945 in Vandalia, Fayette County, Illinois to Harry E. and Olive E. (Blankenship) Bockstruck. He graduated cum laude with a B.A.in Biology and History from Greenville College. He earned a M.A. in European History from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a M.S. in Library Science from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Lloyd joined the genealogical staff at the Dallas Public Library in 1973. During his 30 year tenure as Supervisor of the Genealogy Section (1979-2009) he oversaw the expansion of the collection. He deserves a lion's share of the credit for establishing the library's reputation as holding one of the leading genealogical collections in the United States. It could be said he never worked a day in his life, as his work was his life. In 2009, Lloyd retired from the Dallas Public Library.

His educational and literary contributions to the genealogical community include: 11 books, 39 years on the faculty of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University, Birmingham, AL; 17 years as a weekly columnist for the Dallas Morning News; 17 years as an instructor at the School of Continuing Education, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX; and 11 years on the faculty of the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America, University of Illinois at Springfield.

During his career Lloyd lectured throughout the country at genealogical society workshops, seminars, and conferences. His many honors include being named a Fellow of the National Genealogical Society (1992) and receiving the initial Filby Prize for Genealogical Librarianship (1999) from the National Genealogical Society.

Lloyd is survived by his sister, Alice (Joe) Diveley of Lakeland, FL; a niece, Tiffany (Rick) Godden of Mattoon, IL; two nephews, Marc (Kellie) Diveley of Charleston, IL; and Jared (Franchelle) Diveley of Lakeland, FL. Family, friends, and others whose life has been touched by Lloyd are invited to a memorial service, held at the Peace Chapel / Cathedral of Hope Church, located at 5910 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, Texas at 3 P.M. on Monday June 11, 2018 to pay last respects. Burial will be at a later date in Illinois. The family would like to extend our deep gratitude to all the staff at Presbyterian Village North and Hospice for the excellent care of Lloyd. A special thanks to Robert Voelkle and Maurice Storey for their dedicated help and friendship these last few months. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the donor’s choice.