By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
By all accounts John Lloyd was an exceptionally good man.
A health care industry leader who helped reshape the medical landscape in New Jersey, his death Feb. 13 was mourned by family, friends, colleagues and by members of the community he served.
His obituary tells the story of a man who worked hard throughout his life to improve the welfare of his fellow human beings. He was a vibrant soul who earnestly believed every person deserved the best health care possible.
“John Lloyd was one of a kind,” said Tim Hogan, president, Riverview Medical Center, Hackensack Meridian Health. “You know, it’s easy to say ‘they don’t make them like that anymore,’ but they just don’t make them like John Lloyd… He was just a one-time deal.”
Hogan described Lloyd as an “icon.” “A real-time health care legend,” he added. “John was a courageous, fearless and compassionate leader who served as a highly respected mentor and teacher to literally hundreds of health care executives who are now managing hospitals and health care networks throughout the country. The wisdom that he shared and imparted to all of us has been to the benefit of many.”
He was instrumental in facilitating the 2016 merger of Meridian Health and Hackensack University Health Network, to form Hackensack Meridian Health, creating New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive health care network. Following the merger, Lloyd served as co-CEO of the newly-formed network until his retirement in 2018.
“John’s legacy lives on in New Jersey and at Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH),” said Robert C. Garrett, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health, in a statement. “Beyond being a visionary leader, John was a wonderful man, well-known throughout HMH as being someone who truly cared for each and every team member. He brought his authentic self to work every day, and dedicated his life to serving his team, and our patients. It was a privilege to work beside him as co-CEO.”
Lloyd’s concern for his fellow human beings is what inspired him, he told The Two River Times in an interview for a 2015 article, “John Lloyd: The Man Behind Meridian’s Success.”
“I love people and I believe in them,” he said then. “I’m successful because of the people I have. You can give me the worst situation; just let me pick my people.”
“I never understood why an organization would just run a hospital,” he said in that interview. “I guess in my DNA, I’m an entrepreneur. I started putting non-hospital services out there where people needed them. I’m not a genius. I just did what I thought was right for the community, to give them more services and help keep people out of the hospital. Today, Meridian is a phenomenal organization, not because of me but because everyone worked together.”
His work with nonprofits and charities endeared him to many. “He led from a place of compassion and kindness,” said Debi Heptig, director of operations of the Monmouth Park Charity Fund. “He was the most thoughtful, generous person – his whole family reflects that.”
Heptig, who has worked for years with Lloyd and his wife Maureen on the Monmouth Park Charity Fund, described Lloyd as a family man who, when he came home, “would leave the work behind. But he was so powerful, you wouldn’t even know how much he was doing out there. Because he did it with kindness. He was a leader. His vision was (to provide) a continuum of care .. an individual gets what he needs. He was a visionary with the kindest heart.”
“You could be a maintenance worker or the lead donor and you were treated with the same quality of care and interest,” Heptig said. “He was interested in you no matter who you were.”
In addition to being a visionary in the health care industry, Lloyd, a former U.S. Marine, a family man and an athlete, was a beacon of support for numerous charities and programs, including nursing.
“Nursing was near and dear to John,” Hogan said. “He was incredibly supportive of nursing. He was instrumental in establishing the nursing program at Georgian Court (University), and also worked very closely with Monmouth University in furthering and progressing their nursing program.”
The family asked in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the John K. Lloyd Nursing Scholarship at Riverview Medical Center.
“I think that the family, Maureen, Larson, Dylan and Trevor, were just all very grateful for the care that John received here at Riverview during the last two to three weeks of his life,” Hogan said.
For Hogan and the staff at River view Medical Center, Hogan said, it was “an incredible honor to be able to take care of John, in light of everything he’s done to help all of the communities in Monmouth and Ocean counties.”
The article originally appeared in the February 22 –28, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
