LIMERICK- Lloyd Burcham lived his life, and left his life, on his own terms. Surrounded by his family, he passed peacefully on November 15th after a brief illness. He was the life of every party, including his last one.
Lloyd was born on July 23, 1952, in Haynesville, Louisiana to Willie Albert and Zelma Burcham. He was the youngest of 13 children who adored their baby brother.
After graduating from Emerson High School in 1971 Lloyd enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving as a CID Sentry on a base in Thailand during the Vietnam War. While on leave in South Carolina, Lloyd met the love of his life, his wife Mary Jo, at a bar opening over 5 cent beer; he loved to tell the story of picking her up for their first date in his girlfriend's car. He was a great storyteller, and he could command a room with his humorous, often off-color, recollections from the moments of his life. Case in point, his favorite pose in his regular yoga practice was ‘downward facing dog’, possibly because of the view. His favorite yoga teacher, Bethany (Cote) Woodsome, reports that he also liked ‘happy baby’.
Following his four-year enlistment, Lloyd and Mary Jo moved from Arkansas to Maine where they raised their three children, Nicole, Jessica, and Andrew. He proudly served in the Maine State Police for 20 years, retiring as a Sergeant. This was followed by another 25 years of service as a Court Security Officer for the U.S. Marshal Service in Portland, Maine. He did his job well; the public loved him because he treated everyone with respect. He had a calming effect and could de-escalate any situation. His co-workers described him in one word "Loyal."
Lloyd was a stubborn perfectionist and an unconventional handyman; but his greatest vocation was collecting. His most favorite collections were people and everywhere he went, he attracted a crowd, and he left with new friends. He never met a stranger, and he never forgot a face. He was kind to everyone he met and was always willing to lend his ear; listening with compassion and creating space for you to pour out your soul. He was understanding and always patient; except when teaching his children how to drive a stick shift.
A Louisiana boy, who made his home in Southern Maine, he embraced his southern roots. He loved southern rock and old-school country, a frugal bourbon, and would cut a rug on the dance floor until he was bounced out the door past closing time. In 1982, in a two-toned orange van, converted with his dear friend Bruce Woodsome, Lloyd, Mary Jo, Bruce and his wife Donna embarked on a thirty-plus hour road trip to his southern home with six children ranging in age from 2-11 in tow. It was an adventure; complete with a snake-filled swimming hole, a fire ant nest, an emergency room visit in Tennessee, and being chased away from Graceland in the middle of the night by armed security guards. The Burcham-Woodsome family were just that; the family you choose, and Lloyd loved Carri, Cory, and Casey as if they were his own.
Lloyd was predeceased by his parents, Willie Albert and Zelma (Earnest) Burcham; his siblings, Billie Albert Burcham, Dorothy (Burcham) and husband Rex Kaylor, Huey Grant Burcham, Alma Faye (Burcham) and husband Andy Nuckols, Charlie David Burcham, Dickie Wayne Burcham and wife Debbie, and Mildred (Burcham) Pharr; his mother and father in-law H. William (Bill) and Nina (Curry) Stitson and his brothers-in-law, Billy Wayne Emerson, Smitty Schmidt, Frank Hammond, and James Dick. Lloyd is survived by his wife Mary Jo (Stitson) Burcham, his children, Nicole Soucy and husband Mike, Jessica Carll and husband Nate, Andrew Burcham and wife Leighana; his grandchildren Ian Burcham, Mason and Michaela Soucy, Aiden, Aryanna, and Finnegan Carll; his siblings Gladys (Burcham) Emerson, Betty (Burcham) Schmidt, Hershel “Bud” Burcham and wife Lucy, Shirley (Burcham) Jones and husband Hershell, and Beverly “Sissy” (Burcham) Hammond; and his in-laws Herb and Deb Stitson, Brad and Cindy (Stitson) Taylor, and Betsy Burcham. He was a beloved uncle to 37 nieces and nephews, many of whom have children of their own, and he cherished his role as "Uncle Lloyd" (or Uncle Bourbon) to all of them.
A celebration of Lloyd’s life will be held at 1pm on December 17, 2022, at the Waterboro Historical Society Grange Hall on 31 West Road in Waterboro, ME. A second celebration of life will follow in Louisiana at a date still to be determined.
Online condolence messages can be submitted at the Poitras, Neal & York Funeral Home website, www.mainefuneral.com
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to the Limerick Fire and Rescue Department (55 Washington Street, Limerick, ME 04048) or the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (230 East Ohio Street, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60611).