Harder, Lloyd

Lloyd Harder, 87, of Blacksburg, passed away on Thursday, August 15, 2013. Lloyd was the youngest of the five children of James Andrew and Victoria Edwards Harder of Rockhouse Creek-Perry County-Linden, Tenn. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Raymond Harder, of Nashville, Tenn.

In April of 1945, Lloyd was drafted into the Army during his junior year of high school. During the last week of his basic training at Fort McClellan, Ga., Germany surrendered. He was transferred to Fort Riley, Calif. He then went from San Francisco, Calif., to Yokihama, Japan (Camp Drake) and later to Manila, Philippines to Clark Air Base for heavy Engineer Equipment Operator School. He was discharged in December 1946 as a Combat Engineer Technical Sergeant. After returning home, he began to focus on his education. He earned his GED and started college. In 1952, he graduated from the University of Mississippi Pharmacy School. Later he obtained a PhD of Pharmacology. Lloyd began his career as a pharmacist at Bunting’s Drug Store in Bristol Tenn., where he met his loving wife, Embree Prater. In 1960 he moved his family to Bassett to work at Harder Drug Store with his brother, Albert. In 1968, Lloyd moved to Blacksburg as owner of Center Drug Store. He later worked at Peoples, Revco, and CVS at University Mall until his retirement in 2009 at the age of 83. For many years he served as a volunteer pharmacist at Planned Parenthood of the New River Valley.

He is survived by his wife, Embree; and son, David Lloyd Harder and daughter-in-law, Mary Harder, and son, Michael Andrew Harder, all of Blacksburg. He has five grandchildren, James and Benjamin Harder, of Blacksburg, Michael Harder Jr. of Blacksburg, and Alfreda and Monica Harder, of Richmond, Va. He has two great-grandchildren. He is survived by one brother, Albert Harder, of Bassett, Va.; and two sisters Ruth Harder Turnbow and Faye Harder Warren, both of Linden, Tenn.

Memorial Services will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 18, 2013, in the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Catherine Taylor officiating. Graveside Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, August 19, 2013, at Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, Dublin, Va. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood. The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 17, 2013, at McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg, Va., 540-552-3211.