Beecroft/Becraft Ancestors

Lloyd Grainger Becraft and Dianne Margaret Friedt

Husband Lloyd Grainger Becraft [6037]

           Born: 5 Apr 1936 - Glasgow, Valley, Montana, United States ¹ ² ³ ⁴
     Christened: 
           Died: 11 Feb 1997 - Stanford University Hospital, Palo Alto, , CA ¹ ⁴ ⁵
         Buried: 
FamilySearch ID: G9S1-HLR

         Father: Edwin Roy Becraft [3522] (1907-1953) ⁶
         Mother: Gladys Marie Grainger [10885] (1910-1991)

       Marriage: 15 Jun 1958 - Billings, Yellowstone, Montana, United States

Events

• Soc Sec Num: 517-38-4108.

• Biography: 1994. Name: Becraft , Lloyd G
Birth - Death: 1936-
Accession Number: 287167
Source Citation: American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 12th edition, Physical & Biological Sciences. Seven volumes. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1971.(AmMWSc 12P) American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 14th edition. Eight volumes. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1979.(AmMWSc 14) American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 15th edition. Seven volumes. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1982.(AmMWSc 15) American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 16th edition. Eight volumes. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1986.(AmMWSc 16) American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 17th edition. Eight volumes. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1989.(AmMWSc 17) American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological and related sciences. 18th edition, 1992-1993. Eight volumes. New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker Co., 1992.(AmMWSc 18) American Men & Women of Science(TM) (Bowker(R)). A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological and related sciences. 19th edition. Eight volumes. New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker Co., 1994.(AmMWSc 19).

• His obituary was published in the Ponaco City News on 8 Jun 1997. Lloyd Grainger Becraft

Lloyd Grainger Becraft, longtime resident of Ponca City, died at Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., on Feb. 11, 1997. He was 60 years of age.

A remembrance celebration will be held in Ponca City, on Sunday, June 15th at the Marland Mansion Estate Chapel from 2 to 6 p.m. Arrangements in California were under the direction of Sneider and Sullivan Funeral Home, San Mateo.

Lloyd was born April 5, 1936, in Glasgow, Mont., the son of Edwin Roy and Gladys Marie Grainger Becraft. He and his parents moved to LaCrosse, Wis., in 1937, where he lived until 1952. He lived one year in St. Louis Park, Minn., before moving to Billings, Mont. where he graduated from Billings High School in 1954.

He attended Montana State College in Bozeman, Mont. where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity, serving as secretary and vice-president. Other collegiate activities included band, orchestra, symphonette, student faculty social committee, Fangs service fraternity, and American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Lloyd was selected for membership in Phi Eta Sigma; Mu Sigma Alpha; Phi Kappa Phi; Septembivi; and Tau Beta Pi, which he served as president. He was also named to "Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities." He received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering in 1958, 26 years after his father was awarded the same degree from Montana State.

He married Dianne Friedt on June 15, 1958, in Billings, Mont. The couple moved to Bozeman, Mont. where he attended graduate school. He received a PhD. in chemical engineering from Montana State College in 1962. Upon completion of his graduate studies, he accepted employment with Conoco's Petroleum Products Division of its Research and Development Department in Ponca City, where he worked until he retired in March 1993. During his career with Conoco, he authored or co-authored eight U.S. patents in the field of petroleum products and processes.

Becraft was an active volunteer in the community. He was a member of the Jaycees, serving as president in 1965-66. Other Jaycee offices he held included local director, local vice-president, state vice-president, administrative vice president of the Oklahoma Jaycees, and U.S. Jaycees director. When he reached the age limit for Jaycees, his chapter awarded him a life membership in the Ponca City Jaycees. He also was a JCI Senator and served as president of the Oklahoma JCI Senate.

Active in Boy Scouts, he was Scoutmaster of Troop 3 of the First Presbyterian Church in Ponca City for nine years. He was president of the Community Concert Association in 1968 and president of the Pioneer Historical Society in 1982. He also was active in the East Jr. High and Ponca City Sr. High School instrumental music parents organizations. Becraft was a current member of the Traffic Commission and in previous years was a member of the Hutchins Memorial Advisory Board and Civil Defense Advisory Board.

After retirement from Conoco, Becraft became an active volunteer with the Ponca City Humane Society. He served on its Board of Directors and as president in 1994-95.

Becraft's longtime hobby was playing the French Horn and he played in numerous musical organizations, including the Billings (Montana) Symphony Orchestra; Billings, Bozeman, and Ponca City municipal bands; and the Ponca City Civic Orchestra. He was a featured soloist with the Montana State Symphonette in 1957. He also played in the pit orchestra for many Ponca Playhouse musicals, in community and church presentations of the Messiah, and for a number of local church musical productions.

Survivors include his daughter, Wanda Becraft Neufer and her husband Greg of San Carlos, Calif.; his son, Warren of Singapore; and his grandson, Tyler Alexander Neufer. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dianne.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ponca City Humane Society, P.O. Box 2311, Ponca City, OK 74602.

paid obituary.

• Biography: 2003. Name: Becraft , Lloyd G(rainger)
Birth - Death: 1936-
Accession Number: 287168
Source Citation: American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological and related sciences. 21st edition. Eight volumes. Detroit: Gale Group, 2003.(AmMWSc 21).

Wife Dianne Margaret Friedt [6038]

Born: 23 Dec 1938 - Billings, Yellowstone, Montana, United States ¹ Christened: Died: 8 Nov 1996 - Ponca City, Kay Co, OK ¹ Buried: FamilySearch ID: LT4X-GHR

Events
• Soc Sec Num: 516-40-7533.
• Her obituary was published in The Ponca City News on 10 Nov 1996 in Ponca City, Kay Co, OK. Dianne Margaret Becraft
Dianne Margaret (Friedt) Becraft, longtime Ponca City resident, died Friday evening, Nov. 8, 1996, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. She was 57.
A remembrance gathering will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Grace Memorial Chapel. No visitation is scheduled at the funeral home.
Dianne was born in Billings, Mont., on Dec. 23, 1938, the daughter of Sebastian Martin and Frances (Smith) Friedt. She grew up in Billings and graduated from Billings Senior High School in 1957.
On June 15, 1958, she was married to Lloyd G. Becraft in Billings and they lived in Bozeman, Mont., for 3 1/2 years while Lloyd attended graduate school at Montana State College. Dianne and her husband moved to Ponca City in 1962, where she immediately became involved in volunteer community activities.
She was an active member of the Ponca City Jaycee Jaynes serving as president in 1966-67. The Jaynes presented her with a life membership in 1972, when her husband aged out of the Jaycees. She was also active in the Oklahoma State Jaycee Auxiliary, serving as State Mental Health Chairman and State Historian. Other volunteer organizations in which she was active included the Opportunity Center, Child Development Center, United Way, and Girl Scouts of America. Many people will remember her as a precinct election judge when Woodlands Elementary School was a voting site.
In recent years, she was an active volunteer for the Ponca City Humane Society and was named one of its outstanding volunteers in 1994. For a number of years, she cared for babies and young children in her home and was known affectionately as "Aunt Dianne" to many Ponca City children and their parents. She was a kind and generous person and loved doing things for others. She was an avid reader and enjoyed listening to classical music.
Survivors include her husband, Lloyd, of Ponca City; one daughter, Wanda (Becraft) Neufer and her husband Greg, of San Mateo, Calif.; one son, Warren Russell Becraft of Singapore; one grandson, Tyler Alexander Neufer of San Mateo, Calif.; her mother, Frances Friedt of Billings, Mont.; and two sisters, Laverne McComas of Billings Mont., and Catherine Helzer of Kalispell, Mont.
Memorial contributions may be made in Dianne Becraft's name to the Ponca City Humane Society, P.O. Box 2311, Ponca City, OK 74602.
paid obituary

Services Pending.
• Her obituary was published in The Ponca City News on 22 Nov 1996. Funerals
Saturday
Dianne Becraft - A remembrance celebration will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Marland Mansion Chapel for Dianne Becraft, who died Nov. 8 in Ponca City. The family requests no live plants or flowers be offered for the remembrance, but memorial contributions may be made in Mrs. Becraft's name to the Ponca City Humane Society, P.O. Box 2311, Ponca City, OK 74602.

Children
1 F Wanda Becraft [6039] (details suppressed for this person)

Born: Christened: Died: Buried:

Spouse: Greg Neufer [6041] (living)

2 M Warren Russell Becraft [6040] (details suppressed for this person)

Born: Christened: Died: Buried:

Sources

1 U.S. Government, Social Security Death Index.
2 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 Nov 2025), entry for Lloyd Grainger Becraft, person ID G9S1-HLR.
3 www.familytreelegends.com.
4 California Death Index, 1940-1997 (Sacramento, Ca: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics, 19--.).
5 www.familytreelegends.com, Santa Clara Co, CA.
6 dad1037@yahoo.com (Emails, etc from her sources.).

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