This has to be one of the best stories about Dad (OPEN FORUM: Tractors by Delmar Leatham: The Progress, July 5, 2022). It’s wonderful you’re trying to keep the 25 mph Lloyd Marshall drive alive. Just be careful of those who need those extra minutes. Some of them got to be nasty when they would pass. Dad would just wave right back.
Now there is a certain family member named Jody Marshall that – when he would get behind a lineup of cars and trucks and semis and busses (I’m pretty sure he had one of each all at one time) – would tell his passenger(s), “I’ll bet you money that’s Grandpa Lloyd going white-lined and 45!”
He would win 95% of the time. He would sometimes kick up the speed on the Blvd.
Im not sure if you know this story but he loved to tell it. When his son-in-law Robert Terrill brought a John Deere representative to the fair one year to show him dad’s very rare and 100% restoration Deere, the rep was so impressed he flew Dad, Robert and a few others to their manufacturing plant in Iowa.
Dad was in heaven. When he would call home he was so excited and would tell how he could see the Mississippi River from his hotel room.
Then there was the museum. The company was extremely impressed with dad’s tractor.
Funny thing is about that tractor he swapped parts for it with a tractor and steam tractor collector Garth Kiddman from Tremonton Utah. It had set in his line up for years but he needed some tractor parts from one of dads. So dad swapped with him.
Dad had his scripts (as he would call them) once a month come in the mail. One of the magazines had a printout of the rare serial numbers in it he kept that monthly scripture with him at all times.
Mom and dad after the swap and many long stories between those two got into the truck to head home about 10 miles away from Tremonton he told mom I gotta check this out because he couldn’t wait till they got home. He gets out goes back to the tractor finds the serial number then has mom read them off because he couldn’t believe his own eyes. He puts a phone call into the magazine company asking about the serial number. When they got home the next day there was a message from a John Deere rep wanting to know more and what would it take to buy it from him.
Of course dad never sold it until years later to help with mom’s mounting medical expenses. He called his friend back after the phone call to let him know what transpired from when he left his place till they got home. Apparently Garth had no clue that he had a VERY valuable piece of rusting metal in his lineup. And thats how that became one of the best days plus the day he started it of dads tractor life. Even though he had others.
Somehow all the tractors dad had acquired he was told by many it turned out to be one of the best collections with a lot of rare tractors.
After dad would line the tractors up for Christmas he would leave them there for months after Christmas. Every year people would ask if Santa and his John reindeeres will be making their appearance. It even came from people he didn’t know would ask.
Many families wanted to take photos with the tractors. And of course dad couldn’t say no.
Mr. Delmar I thank you again for the tearful joy when reading your story.
Karie Marshall
