DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker's the source here, and I'm gonna tell you what it says the best way I know how. Franklin A. Loyd.
Born in Montague County, Texas — and from the very start, that's a name that carried some weight. He pinned on the sheriff's badge in 1935, and he wore it with honor. Not just for a year, not just for a little while — he served, and he served well, right up until the day the job asked everything of him.
Mortally wounded in the line of duty. That's how the marker puts it, plain and without flinching, and it deserves to be heard the same way. A man doing his job, knowing the risks, and paying the final price.
Now, what happened next — that's something worth sitting with. His widow, Mrs. Grace Owen Loyd, stepped forward.
She took the remainder of his term and served it out herself. Think about that for a second. She'd just lost her husband, the father of her eight children, and she didn't step away from Lamb County — she stepped up for it.
Eight children. A county to serve. A badge that still needed to mean something.
Franklin A. Loyd left behind more than a name on a marker. He left behind a family that showed exactly what honor looks like when it costs you the most.
What the marker says
Born in Montague County. Taking office as sheriff in 1935, he served with honor until mortally wounded in line of duty. His widow, Mrs. Grace Owen Loyd, served remainder of term. He was father of 8 children. Recorded, 1968