Loyd Roosevelt Brents

Loyd Roosevelt Brents, 95, of Cleveland, Arkansas, died June 30. Born March 4, 1919, to school teachers Marvin and Rose Brents, he was the eldest of four children. He was predeceased by sister Hazel Bynum and brothers, Harold and Carl "Boad" Brents. He was a part of a large Brents clan and had 56 first cousins. Brents was a Church of Christ minister, preaching his first sermon at age 16. He graduated from Harding University and maintained a lifelong love of the school and connection to it. He ministered in Oklahoma and Arkansas during the active years of his ministry. Until recent months, he was still called on to do short meetings and funerals for friends in the area. A remarkable handy man, he was adept at "fixing" things or building things. Two unfinished airplanes are in his garage and the "Cleveland hangar" today. He loved to fly and held a pilot's license for many, many years. He met and married Joyce Nethercutt in Oklahoma City in 1962 and they led an active and rewarding life together. Traveling to the Holy Land, points across the United States, and acting as tour guide for friends and relatives who visited them in Phoenix, they loved it all. Joyce preceded him in death in 2007. His extended family included grandchildren and great-grandchildren; he taught one of his grandchildren to crawl (he claimed) on the floor of a rental house in Phoenix. Noted for his thrifty ways, he was a great one to find a bargain, to repair rather than replace, and to conserve resources at every opportunity. Described by brother Boad as a full-time handyman and part-time preacher, he was constantly at work on one project or another. Upon his return from Phoenix to Cleveland, he began a newspaper column that continued until this month in the Petit Jean Headlight. He loved keeping track of the people in his area and informing folks of good and bad happenings that affected them. Brents is survived by a daughter, Alice Ann Goldie, of Arizona; step-daughters Carolene of Texas and Gerene of Arizona, and step-sons Lanny and Laddie of Oklahoma. There are numerous grandchildren and great-children who knew and loved him. Funeral will be Thursday, July 3, at 2:00 p.m. at the New Liberty Church of Christ near Cleveland. Ted Knight will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour before the service, and burial will be in the Brents Cemetery. Arrangements are by Harris Funeral Home of Morrilton. In lieu of flowers, memorials should be directed to the New Liberty Church of Christ.

Loyd Roosevelt Brents

March 4, 1919 - June 30, 2014