Biography: Eggbert Lloyd Moseley was born on the 8th of January 1955. Lloyd was the 1st of eight children born to Jonathan and Bernice Headley, and the second child of his mother Bernice. He received his early education at The St. Boniface Primary School, in Sion Hill, St. James, and then moved on to the Black Bess mixed School in St. Peter.
Lloyd would hold his sister Elsie’s hand and head off to school through the wooded area and always return home barefooted with his shoes in his bag since he loved cricket. One memory Elsie had was of Lloyd preparing a cricket pitch after school. He was rolling the pitch & the roller ran over his toes, leaving them flat. Elsie told him that he needed to see a doctor, but he insisted that he would be fine. So he went under the standpipe & rolled his toes under the water until they became round again. He was always tough.
After leaving school, he worked as an apprentice with Mr. Murray doing carpentry. Lloyd learnt the skill very quickly, but decided to leave after one year, as he felt that he was not being adequately compensated for his work.
Lloyd loved agriculture from a young age, so he would always assist his dad with his sugar cane crop and animals. Back then, he had to go to the grass field, we call it a grass piece, and cut grass and take it quite a distance home for the animals. Lloyd would cut his grass the fastest, then help his brother Rodney cut his. His bundle of grass being carried on his head was so huge; you could not even see his face.
He was hardworking, strong, very helpful around the house, and an excellent cook. He would wait until mummy leave for work, set up a wood fire in the yard & put on the biggest pot he could find with rice, even if it got him into trouble. It was a very sad day when he told his parents that he was going to Canada to work on the farm programme, as he said to help his family. Mum begged him not to go, but she could not convince him to stay, so at the age of 18 he left Barbados for Canada.
Canada became his home before he moved to the U.S.A. after two years there. This talented young man easily found work and maintained it because of his excellent work ethics. He ably assisted his brother Rodney to get to the United States, and made sure that he was well taken care of. No one could mess with Rodney for him to know.
Lloyd soon met June, got married and the union produced one son, Jonathan. Lloyd was multi-talented and could build or fix almost anything. When you see him with his tongue between his teeth…. and a pencil behind his ears…. De man wukking.
He was a no nonsense person and his friends knew that quite well. When he tells you that the party is over and to leave, you had better get moving. He was fearless and what I term “The defender of our family”. No one could interfere with any of his family members. At one time he even wanted to take a flight back to Barbados to deal with someone who had troubled his sister. She had to plead with him not to come. If he got into a fight, the Warrior prevailed. (That is what he called himself).
Lloyd was always fun to be around, as he could be a comedian at times. He had a generous spirit, and nothing was too good for him to give you. He would say, “HAVE IT”, and would give you the biggest and the best of anything.
So Lloyd, all of you “Baby Cakes” as he would call his sisters, your family and friends, wouldn’t hear that beautiful singing voice, and sweet laughter anymore, but rest assured, we will meet again on another shore.
If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, we would walk right up to heaven and bring you back again.
No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye. You were gone before we knew it, and only God knows why. Our hearts still aches with sadness, and secret tears still flow. What it meant to love you, no one will ever know. Right now we know you want us, to mourn for you no more. To remember all the happy times, life still has much in store. Since you’ll never be forgotten, we pledge to you today. A hallowed place within our hearts, is where you’ll always stay.
Rest in Peace Bro