Lloyd Henderson Evelyn

On Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025, at 6:07 in the evening, Lloyd Henderson Evelyn slipped gently to his sleep in Christ. His transition was as peaceful as the life he lived - surrounded by family, carried by song, and saturated in love.

Lloyd was born on September 21, 1952, in Barbados, to McDonald Leslie and Nereid Reid. He inherited from his father both music and craft; his father with the saxophone and the carpenter’s tools, Lloyd with the guitar and the thoughtful hand of a joiner. From early on, he moved between these worlds: by day learning carpentry in his father’s workshop, by night carrying his guitar across the island to play in jazz bands alongside his father. Those rhythms and patterns - wood shaped into something lasting, music lifting into something transcendent - would mark the whole of his life.

He attended St. Leonard’s Secondary School, where his mind was opened to the wider world of history, theology, and scholarship. Lloyd was a thinker, a reader, and a writer. He sought truth not just in books but in the character of God - the central theme of his life. For him, God was not a distant figure, but present in humility, in justice, in love. It was this conviction that shaped the way he lived and the way he served.

In his early twenties, due to a close friendship with a close friend, George Drakes, Lloyd joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He carried great responsibility there—meticulously keeping records, stewarding finances, and serving in whatever capacity was needed. He was not a man who sought the spotlight, but one who made sure the work of the community was done, faithfully and well.

Lloyd’s calling to education took him to Erdiston Teachers’ Training College and eventually to St. Bartholomew’s School in Christ Church, where he taught for 15 years. Known for his patience and gentleness, he guided generations of students with quiet wisdom. When he enrolled his daughter at what had been an all-boys school, the doors opened for girls to attend - an act that reflected his quiet way of shifting structures and creating opportunity.

On December 19, 1976, Lloyd married the love of his life, Pamelia “Pam” Lucretia Drakes (George’s little sister). Their union was one of balance and devotion - her fire and energy matched with his calm and steadiness. Together they raised three children: Tashida, Janssen, and Shallun. For 43 years, until Pam’s passing in February 2020, their love was the bedrock of their family.

In September 1986, Lloyd and Pam immigrated to the United States with their three children. They first arrived in Boston before settling in Riverdale, Maryland at the urging of his brother-in-law Duan Drakes, where they built their home and established deep community ties. While Pam pursued her nursing career, Lloyd anchored the family with his steady faith, gentle presence, and lifelong devotion to learning and service.

Lloyd lived his life with humility, discipline, and grace. As a man of thought and of faith, he could spend hours immersed in discussion around theology with Ralph Brooks, his best friend - always circling back to the question of God’s character - how love, justice, and mercy could be made real in the world. He was not loud in his convictions, but steady, consistent, and profound in the way he lived them out. He mastered doing little things with great love consistently. 

He leaves behind a legacy of love, scholarship, music, and faith. He is survived by his children, Tashida deRoux (Marquis), Janssen E. Evelyn (Sonya), and Shallun D. Evelyn; grandchildren, Jabari, Jadon & Adia deRoux, Simone & Sinclair Evelyn, and Malachi Evelyn; siblings, Samuel Evelyn, Peter Reid, Paul Reid, Shannie Rampersaud-Reid, Tara Durant (Patrice), Swami & Sastri Rampersaud. He will be missed by a host of other nephews and nieces in the U.S.A., Barbados, United Kingdom, and by the wide community of people whose lives he touched.

He is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Pamelia; his parents, McDonald and Nereid; his sister, Marcia Smith; and his lovely grandson, Jaheel Anthony deRoux.

A man of music, a man of wisdom, a man of God: Lloyd lived gently, served faithfully, and loved deeply. Even his transition was a reflection of the life he always sought - in harmony with the One whose character he spent his days studying, reflecting, and embodying. From the grain of wood in his hands to the music rising from his guitar strings and smooth baritone, his life bore the mark of his Maker - steady, gentle, and full of grace.

In accordance with his wishes, his body has been cremated. This beautiful man’s life and the legacy he leaves behind will be celebrated on Sunday, September 21, 2025—his 73rd birthday—at his memorial service at 11:30 a.m. at the Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Old Frederick Rd, Woodstock, MD 21163. A repast will follow immediately thereafter.