Lloyd Shaddock: A Lifetime of Service at Pine Hills

In 1928, a young Lloyd Shaddock picked up a shovel at Pine Hills Cemetery for the wage of 17 cents an hour, a modest sum that meant the world to the youngest of 13 children from the Scarborough Junction. Family lore suggests that the burial he helped with that day may have been the cemetery’s very first. Whether fact or folklore, it marked the beginning of a remarkable career spanning more than 50 years with the Mount Pleasant Group.

Lloyd quickly became known for his strength and work ethic, and as the years passed, his skills grew beyond the spade. He worked at nearly every MPG location, helping shape landscapes and even mastering the old grass-seeding equipment that transformed York Cemetery’s western half. When Elgin Mills needed clearing, Lloyd was there, moving rocks and boulders with his son to create the serene pond that visitors enjoy today.

Through the Great Depression and beyond, Lloyd often said the company looked after him, even when times were hard and families struggled to afford burials. His loyalty was matched by his reputation: “Lloyd was one of a kind who always got the job done,” recalled colleagues decades later.

The Shaddock family roots at Pine Hills ran deep. Lloyd’s great-grandmother worked as a nanny for the Chandler family, who lived on the grounds, making the cemetery feel like a second home to the next generation. Summers saw brothers, cousins and friends cutting grass, building memories and sharing stories of tobogganing down the hill or skating on the pond behind the office. For the Shaddocks, Pine Hills was more than a workplace. It was a community.

Lloyd eventually became foreman, managing the grounds from the old equipment yard near the Kennedy gates. His mantra was simple: “Clean and put your equipment back right at the end of the day so it’s ready next time.” It was this pride in his work that defined his life of service.

Today, more than 40 members of the Shaddock family rest at Pine Hills – a testament to a bond that began with one young man and a shovel in 1928. Lloyd’s story is not just about hard work; it’s about family, resilience and a legacy woven into the fabric of these grounds.

Source: Pine Hills Cemetery Staff