Unsung Hero: Local man honoured by entire community

MISSION (NEWS 1130) – NEWS 1130 is congratulating our final Unsung Hero of the year. Lloyd Rash was nominated by Gloria Tyler but there are a lot of people who are stepping up to praise his work.

Lloyd is a retired Public Works Manager for the City of Mission and is an active Rotarian with over 25 years of service to this organization. His friends say he has been an example of “service about self” and has selflessly served both his local and global communities for nearly five decades.

Here’s what some of his friends and colleagues are saying about him.

Abe: former Mayor of Mission between 2001-2004. Upon retirement Lloyd volunteered full-time on the huge task of planning and construction of the Fraser River Heritage Administration Building. The building was a source of income for the District and it saved many taxpayer dollars.

Don: former President of Ducks Unlimited in the 1980’s. Lloyd helped DU establish their banquet fundraising format. He often assisted needy folks with minor repairs of vehicles and household appliances (skills that proved helpful in service in his mission trips to third world countries).

Brian: former President of the Mission Heritage Association. Lloyd has volunteered in the park since the 1980’s. He was involved in the conception, design, infrastructure planning, and all stages of construction and on-going maintenance of everything in the ark, from digging water lines to laying foundation to re-roofing. Several park buildings were constructed under his watchful eye. His calm leadership of a dedicated team of volunteers, inmates from the Correctional Service of Canada, contributors, donor and volunteers made good things happen in the park everywhere, in every way, on every day. The park is sometimes referred to as the jewel of Mission, much to the credit of the care and countless volunteer hours of Lloyd.

Eleanor: former Mission Foundation Chair member. Lloyd assisted with the selection, interviewing and presentation of thousands of dollars of bursary and scholarship funds to worthy recipients.

Bill: former Rotary Assistant District Governor of District 5050 from 2001-2005. Lloyd assisted in the construction and entry, as well as maintenance, of the Rotary Float in the annual Mission Candlelight Parade for the past 25 years. He contributed hundreds of hours of work into the wetlands just west of Mission. He volunteered, in partnership with School District 75, Correctional Service of Canada, Wilderness Tree Farm, Citizens Advisor and Municipality of Mission in building bird houses for the wetlands, park benches for local schools, planters for hospice and recently benches for schools.

Dr. Bill and Gloria Tyler, Rotarians and dentists say Lloyd has volunteered on several dental missions trips to third world countries where he paid for his own travel and tapped into his maintenance skill set to do things such as keeping the field dental equipment functional under adverse conditions. He also replaced the well pump and restored water to a village of 150 orphans and several teachers, caregivers, and he even learned and was a valuable member of the clinical dental teams making partial dentures and keeping instruments sterilized. His volunteer trips were in Zambia, Ecuador, Thailand, Guatemala and the Philippines and was an integral part of the success of these missions.

Janet: past president of the Rotary Club of Mission 2015. This past year Lloyd was active in all aspects of Rotary. A most notable achievement in which Lloyd was instrumental was the transport, by ferry and barge of library shelving and books to a First Nations community in northern BC where a small team of Rotarians installed the shelving and stocked the library.

Alpine Credits is acknowledging Lloyd with $500 to say thanks for being so great, while donating $1000 to a charity of his nominator’s choice.