Lloyd Knowles Arneach Sr.
- Cherokee 411 Staff
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
By Cara Cowan Watts | Cherokee 411
Oct. 6, 1943 - April 4, 2026 Oklahoma
Lloyd Knowles Arneach Sr., born Oct. 6, 1943, to Francis Newman Arneach and Roberta Mollie Gloyne, passed away on Friday, April 4, 2026.
Lloyd grew up in the Elawodi (Yellowhill) community of the Qualla Boundary. As a youth, he spent time at his grandmother Arneach’s and grandmother Lula’s homes, where he enjoyed listening to wrestling on the radio. When he was a young teenager, a neighbor, Mrs. Mary Ulmer Chiltoskie, took him and other Cherokee youths to share Cherokee stories with surrounding communities—an experience that planted a seed that would later grow.
Although he found that college was not his path, a summer session at Mars Hill College changed his life when he met the love of his life, Charlotte Cleveland. Soon after, he joined the United States Air Force. While serving, he qualified for and competed in the United States Air Force Olympic Trials for the 1964 Olympics. While stationed in Washington, D.C., Lloyd and Charlotte began their life together. After serving in Vietnam, they eventually settled in Kennesaw, Ga. Lloyd built a career in computer programming, working at AT&T until his retirement.
Around 1989, he was approached by folklorist Dr. John Burrison of Georgia State University to contribute a chapter to the book “Storytellers: Folktales and Legends from the South”, sharing Cherokee stories as part of a collection of traditional voices from across the region. Following its publication, he was invited to join the Southern Order of Storytellers and began sharing Cherokee stories professionally. Earlier, in the 1970s, Lloyd traveled to schools to teach Cherokee history, crafts, and weaponry. Over time, his storytelling took him far beyond his community—from the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., to Texas, the Kennedy Center, and into Canada. With his black hat and ribbon shirts, many of which were made by Henri Gloyne and the late Arlene Reagan, he left a lasting impression wherever he went.
Obituary details by Cherokee One Feather.
SERVICE DETAILS:
Celebration of Life - Saturday April 11th. Yellowhill Community Building,
918 Acquoni Road, Cherokee, NC 28719
Receive Friends - 12 PM
Service - 1 PM
Pallbearers will be his grandsons and close family friends.
The family asks that you wear your Billy Jack black hat if you have it, and your team jersey if you played stickball.
Long House Funeral Services is in charge of arrangements.
Comments