Lloy I. Lakes

Lloy Iris (Baldwin) Lakes of Cincinnati, Ohio passed away peacefully on November 26, 2025 at the age of 85. During her lifetime, Lloy was truly God's example on earth of devotion, caring, and love for her husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Lloy was born April 18, 1940, the first child of Albert Baldwin and Bess Steele in Jackson County, Kentucky. Her siblings are Connie Trammel (deceased), Raymond Baldwin of Warner Robins, Georgia, Robbie Baldwin of Honea Path, South Carolina, and Lonnie Baldwin of Melbourne, Florida. During her early years, Lloy discovered her love of nature and animals doing chores on her family's farm. Reading was by far her favorite pastime growing up. She nurtured her love for reading and poetry her entire life; with her favorite being collections of Helen Steiner Rice. After graduating Tyner High School in Jackson County Kentucky she said, "I met the love of my life and I just knew I was going to marry him someday".

Lloy married her husband, Vurl, in October of 1959 after moving to Cincinnati, Ohio. They celebrated 53 years of marriage together until his passing in 2013. She was a wonderful and nurturing mother to her four children - Monica, Doug, Greg and Don.

While raising her family she was a "country cook" in the kitchen. Every meal was seasoned with a loving smidge or pinch of something making every dish special and memorable. Biscuits and gravy from scratch, soup beans and ham, cornbread, chicken and dumplings, and fresh blackberry or apple pie were regular staples our entire family enjoyed around the table growing up and during holiday celebrations. Evenings found her reading a good book or laughing at a television show with Vurl and the kids. Weekends would often find her traveling with family to relatives in Connersville, IN, Lexington, KY or back home in southeastern Kentucky.

As her children grew more independent, Lloy turned her attention to furthering her education and starting a career. She started with basic business courses at local trade schools and ended with management courses at the University of Cincinnati. Her lifelong dedication to learning resulted in a two decade career as an executive assistant for the head of the University of Cincinnati Information Systems division. In 1995 her career was shortened as a result of a car accident leaving her disabled with knee and back issues. Unable to work, she turned her attention back to nature and love for the outdoors. She and Vurl bought a motorhome and created more memories traveling the United States over the open road. She took several cross-country RV trips with Vurl before his passing in 2013. Together, they took trips to Florida to visit her sister and brothers with stops at Cades Cove in the Smokies or an appalachian music festival in Maggie Valley. Other summer trips would find them traveling out west to National Parks including the Bad Lands, Yosemite, and Yellowstone.

Throughout her life, Lloy was a beacon of devotion, love, hope and compassion everyday to her parents, brothers, sister, her husband Vurl, her four children, Monica, Doug, Greg and Don, her 12 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and her three cats - Poopsie, King, and Winkie.

Friends and Family may visit Urban Winkler Funeral Home located at 513 W. 8th Street Connersville, IN 47331 on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM. Funeral services will follow immediately. Burial is at Dale Cemetery in Connersville, Indiana

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