By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
Known for both his job as a lawyer and his community service, Patrick “Pat” Lloyd left a lasting mark on Burlington.
Lloyd, 85, died in Madison Nov. 14, leaving behind a law firm with his name and a legacy of lending help when needed.
“I don’t know anyone who was more instrumental in that time period,” said Dennis Lynch, who is still a lawyer at Lloyd, Phenicie, Lynch and Kelly Law Firm in Burlington. “A force for good.”
Bill Phenicie, a now-retired partner from the firm, added, “I’m going to miss Pat not only as a former partner, but also as a very, very good friend.”
While Lloyd loved working as a lawyer – “he taught us to love the law,” said Phenicie – both Phenicie and Lynch spent time praising the work the former lawyer had done outside of the law office.
“Pat was really, really instrumental in Burlington,” explained Lynch, pointing out that Lloyd headed the original Veterans Building project in the early 1960s.
“It was all volunteers,” Lynch recalled. “They’d come down on Saturday morning and do the masonry work.
“He helped immensely organizing that, and getting his hands dirty,” Lynch added.
Lloyd’s biggest project, though, came in 1977, when St. Mary’s Church burned. He chaired the committee that worked on restoring the church, putting together meetings with architects and trades people at the law office “pretty much on a weekly basis.”
“I think one of his proudest moments was when a big crane came to Burlington and lifted the steeple back up,” Lynch said. “He was instrumental in that project.”
It was more than the large projects, though. Lloyd was a long-time chairman of Bank of Burlington – what is now BMO Harris – and led most of the fundraising efforts for years at what became Catholic Central High School.
What amazed Phenicie wasn’t that Lloyd helped. It was how much – and over how long a period of time – that Lloyd took part.
“What I really thought set Pat apart was it was consistent,” Phenicie said. “It wasn’t like for a couple years did this, a couple years did that – and then played golf the rest of the time.
“It wasn’t like that,” Phenicie added.
Lloyd also served as president and district governor for the Rotary Club, and even ran auctions at various fundraisers for both St. Mary parish and CCHS.
“He was trained as an auctioneer back in college,” Lynch said. “He looked after the high school like his baby.”
And as for the law firm, Lynch said, Lloyd remained active even after his retirement, checking in on projects and clients.
“Pat was an outstanding lawyer who always put his client’s interests above his own,” Phenicie said. “Clients, judges and lawyers from other firms respected Pat.
“He was truly someone that other people in the legal profession looked up to,” he added.
Lloyd was preceded in death by his wife, Polly. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking memorials be made to the Pat and Polly Lloyd Fund for the benefit of Catholic Central High School.
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