Lloyd Calvin Fell

Lloyd Fell, 86, of Cheboygan, son of Ethel (Jewell) and Glenon Fell and dear husband to Kathleen Lieder, a man of extraordinary intellect, passed from this life to the next on July 17th.

Early life and education 

As a child, Lloyd was surrounded by a loving extended family, with many cousins and childhood friends on Abbott Street.  He was very close to his grandmother, who lived next door, often venturing to her house to play her piano and enjoy homemade apple pie.

Lloyd’s intellect appeared early.  He always, always loved books, and the librarians of the Carnegie Free Library encouraged his reading.   He loved his schools and teachers, and his English teachers would occasionally allow him to speak at length on the literature the class was studying. Lloyd was an avid debater and excelled at extemporaneous speaking, winning statewide recognition in his senior year.  He also enjoyed his character roles in school plays, leading to a fondness for theater and performance throughout his life.

Lloyd excelled in academics and, in 1956, was awarded a National Merit Scholarship.  He initially attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he continued with debate on the MIT team.  Lloyd particularly relished the day that MIT beat Harvard, and often said he learned true humility at MIT because it had such a concentration of brilliant minds.  

At MIT, he found a lifelong friend in Bob Everson, an assigned roommate, also from Michigan.  He remained very close to Bob and his late wife, Janet, and their daughter, Emily, who were dear to him throughout the years.  While he knew that MIT was a great university, he soon realized that his interests lay predominantly in history, literature and arts, rather than physics.  Lloyd transferred to the University of Michigan for his junior and senior years.

A career in the law  

Lloyd’s work stood out at the University of Michigan.  He graduated Summa Cum Laude, along with receiving his Phi Beta Kappa key. When he was about to receive his undergraduate degree, Dean Roger Heyns, noticing that Lloyd had no definite plans for the next stage in his life, suggested he apply to law schools. Lloyd ultimately chose U of M Law School because its scholarship provided the most financial support.

In law school, Lloyd was truly in his element, able to hold his own with the learned, but sometimes arrogant, law professors. He served as an editor of the Law Review and graduated with honors, including the Order of the Coif.  Once more, Lloyd had no definite plans for his next step.  Understanding his talents, Dean Allan Smith arranged an interview for Lloyd to be a law clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Theodore Souris.  Again, Lloyd was in his element, enjoying his work at the court and honing his legal skills.

After three years as a law clerk, it was Justice Souris who then guided Lloyd to his next opportunity, setting up an interview with the law firm Bodman, Longley, Bogle, Armstrong & Dahling (now, known as Bodman). At Bodman, he found lifelong friends, and the depth of those friendships cannot be overstated.

Returning home  

In 1976, at the law firm New Year’s Day luncheon, Lloyd met his future wife, Kathleen Lieder. Both practicing attorneys, in 1985 Lloyd and Kathy returned to Cheboygan to join a boutique banking law practice which Jim Conboy established.  Soon thereafter, Lloyd helped merge the Conboy practice with Bodman, so Lloyd could then enjoy the best of both worlds, working on complex transactions and litigation with his Bodman partners, and living in Cheboygan.  

Lloyd excelled at Bodman.  His briefs were not mere arguments, but explanations of the law and its correct application, in favor of his client, of course.  Lloyd sometimes suffered writer’s block, so he walked the halls of the firm, searching for words and, in his inimitable style, bemoaning his decision to become a lawyer.  He always found inspiration, and then he wrote his briefs in longhand and with a fountain pen.  His etiquette extended to his greetings, addressing women in the office formally as “Miss” or “Mrs.”, and in later years, “Ms.”, as he refused to use their first names.  Beyond supporting his colleagues, Lloyd was equally attentive to legal assistants, office clerks, and new associates – always taking an interest in their professional development, their lives outside of work, and keeping things fun in the office.

Lloyd was kind, but he masked kindness with curmudgeonly truculence. Children loved him, and they came to know that he always had a stash of sweets and grandfatherly wit — visiting him year after year.  Eventually, they brought their own children to see him.

Lloyd was generous and attentive to his parents and Kathy’s. He was especially fond of his Great Aunt Ethel, each year, bringing her to Cheboygan and pushing her wheelchair across the Mackinac Bridge during the Labor Day Bridge Walk, loudly declaring that she was the oldest person on the bridge.

Lloyd loved Cheboygan.  When the Log Mark Bookstore, the only bookstore in town, was about to close, Lloyd bought it, not for profit, but to preserve it as a cultural and community resource. In 1976, Lloyd established a scholarship, in memory of his mother for college-bound students at Cheboygan High School.  He spoke at each graduation ceremony thereafter.  A longtime patron of the New York Metropolitan Opera and the Cheboygan Opera House, he also loved classical music and opera, and was an avid concertgoer. 

Lloyd and Kathy loved to travel and spent many weeks each year experiencing different parts of the US and the world. Friends often joined them on these trips, which made those experiences even more fun.  They hiked in Austria, many places in the Western US, and hiked most often to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, staying at Phantom Ranch a dozen times with friends.  They also enjoyed biking and playing tennis together.

Lloyd attended St. Thomas Lutheran Church during his high school years and, when he married Kathy, a lifelong Lutheran, they made it their church.  He was an active member, sometimes reading scriptures and occasionally being called to provide a sermon.

Lloyd was gifted; his knowledge was unsurpassed and his wisdom beyond measure.  He was truly a character, and wonderful to those who encountered him.  He was worldly but centered, and brilliant but humble.  He loved his wife Kathy, "Ms. Lieder", and he loved Northern Michigan.  We will miss our dear husband, uncle, cousin and friend.

Lloyd is survived by numerous family.  Dear husband to Kathleen Lieder, beloved uncle to Holly (Darren) Parker and Cory (April) Lieder, and their children, Allison and Ryan Lieder; and Savannah, Wyatt, Travis and Charlotte Parker. Brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Charles and Marjorie Lieder, generously shared their children and grandchildren with Lloyd and Kathy. Lloyd was recently preceded in death by his dear cousin, Thomas (Tim) Bussler, Jr.  He is survived by many cousins, as well as many younger people who were like nieces and nephews to him.
 

In lieu of flowers, please consider the Ethel Fell Scholarship at the Cheboygan High School (801 W. Lincoln Avenue, Cheboygan, MI  49721), the Building Fund of St. Thomas Lutheran Church (332 S. Western Avenue, Cheboygan, MI 49721) or your favorite charity.

Visitation will be held at Nordman’s Funeral Home, 302 S. Huron Street, Cheboygan from 3 to 7 pm on Friday, August 1; the funeral service will be held at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 332 S. Western Avenue at noon on Saturday, August 2, with visitation at the Church at 11 am.

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