21 Jan Dixie Gay Lloyd Drecksel
May 24, 1932 to January 6, 2025
Dixie Gay Lloyd Drecksel (known as “Gay” during her youth, and “Lloyd” later in life) described herself as “curious, resourceful, and not a rule follower.” Always uniquely wonderful and uniquely loved, Lloyd lived a full life with many chapters.
Lloyd was born to Dixie Penrose Lloyd and Ray E. Lloyd in Salt Lake City, Utah. Always one of a kind, at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, Lloyd was the first girl to be sent home for wearing a pair of pants rather than a dress (“borrowed” from her older brother, Ray D. Lloyd).
At age 7, Lloyd tap danced on the initial presentation of television in the Intermountain West. She danced upstairs while viewers watched on a television monitor downstairs, and she thought that if she ran downstairs fast enough, she would be able to see herself on the monitor! Many years later, she recounted this experience during an interview that aired on KUTV/ABC’s “Wirth Watching.”
Lloyd always loved school, got good grades, and participated enthusiastically in school life. She was a cheerleader at Madison Junior High School. A good student, Madison often sent Lloyd to “substitute teach” elementary school students when teachers were in short supply during the war.
Lloyd represented Granite High School at Girls’ State and held several offices at Granite, including Student Body Vice President. Very social, she kept the dance programs from every high school dance for the rest of her life. After graduation, the Salt Lake Tribune ran an article about Lloyd, and its headline fittingly called her, “Granite Personality Girl.” While in high school, Lloyd was a regular cast member on a Salt Lake City television program aimed at teen viewers. In that role, she met her first husband, Cal Drecksel, when she interviewed him about leading his high school to State championships in baseball and basketball.
Lloyd married young and had three children (Debra, Linda, and Paul). Lloyd was a stay-at -home mother for 16 years and approached parenting the same way she did everything in life, with commitment, energy, humor, and love. Always the teacher, Lloyd shared her continuous learning and unconditional love with her children (and, later, with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well). Many experienced her unconditional love as her greatest gift.
Lloyd only attended about a year of college before she married in 1952 and started her family.
In 1969, Lloyd went back to school at the University of Utah. This was a very courageous move at a time when “non-traditional” students (students older than 26) were rare, women were told their “place was in the home,” and returning to a vigorous academic environment after such a long break was challenging.
Lloyd showed up to in-person U of U registration wearing her best dress, black patent leather high heel shoes and handbag–only to be met by other registrants wearing torn jeans, bare feet or flip-flops, backpacks, and green army jackets. Many of the men had long hair and beards (a somewhat radical look at the time). Talk about culture shock! And yet, she wasn’t going to let anything stop her because she valued learning so much. She adapted her appearance and took every challenge in stride, earning Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude (1973), Master of Science (1977), and Ph.D. (1984) degrees, and ultimately becoming a professor in the Communication Department at the U of U where she loved every single day of teaching. She was a great role model for her children and grandchildren, truly exemplifying the notion that women can achieve anything regardless of social norms.
After Lloyd retired, she devoted herself to caring for others, including her significant other and soul mate, Neil Astle (recipient of the 1999 American Institute of Architecture’s Lifetime Achievement Award), before and during his years with Alzheimer’s, as well as many members of her extended family. Too generous, Lloyd always put others before herself.
Lloyd’s children, children-in-law, grandchildren, grandchildren-in-law, and great-grandchildren were her greatest joy. Each of them had a special bond with Lloyd that was entirely unique to him or her.
Her grandchildren fondly remember a game, called “Bono-sono,” they invented at her house. They got cushions and pillows and used them to slide down Grandma Lloyd’s staircase yelling “Bono-sono” as they slid. As adults, this remained one of their favorite (of many) memories of good times with their amazing grandma.
Lloyd is survived by her children, Debra (Gary Howard), Linda (Willie Zweigart), and Paul (Jill). Grandchildren include Brendan Miller (Alee), Jarrod and Hilary Zweigart (Xander), and Alex (Alli) and Dana Drecksel. Great-grandchildren include Jaxon McCarthy and Nova and Rhys Miller.
Lloyd and her family would like to thank the entire staff at Spring Gardens in Holladay, Utah for the loving care they provided during the final years of Lloyd’s life. We feel very blessed to have found you.
In lieu of a funeral or flowers, Lloyd asked us to urge each of you to thank those who make your life worthwhile. Lloyd also asked us to convey her thanks to all those who made her life worthwhile.
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