- Date Of Death: May 15, 2019
- State: Indiana
Daisy Dorothy Riley-Lloyd, 95, was born October 15, 1923 in Lawrence, Kansas to Nettie Henrie and Hiram Riley and died peacefully on May 15, 2019 in Indianapolis surrounded by family.
At seventeen, Daisy moved to Washington, D.C. She attended Howard University where she graduated with a B.S. in Economics. While in Washington, Daisy worked as a researcher at the Library of Congress. Being surrounded by PhDs in various fields sparked her passion for education.
While in D.C., Daisy met Frank P. Lloyd, an intern at Howard Medical School. They married in 1949 and moved to Indianapolis in 1952. Their thirty-seven-year union resulted in many achievements among them their four children Shelley, Frank, Jr., Riley and Karen Ann.
With the rise of the civil rights movement, Daisy was asked by the Democratic Party of Indiana to seek office in the general Assembly. She became the first black woman elected to serve in the Indiana General Assembly of 1965. While serving in the General Assembly, Daisy was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her recovery, she was televised from her hospital room reassuring her constituents that she would return to work. She was one of the first women to share her experience with breast cancer publicly in Indiana.
After leaving the general assembly, she turned her attention to real estate. She obtained valuable work experience with the real estate firm owned by W.T. Ray, a prominent businessman and civic leader. In the early 1970’s, Daisy started Northside Realty and helped challenge and open the multiple listing associations to black realtors. Her persistence helped open the housing market for black families in Indianapolis.
As a proponent of life-long learning, Daisy obtained an M.A in Psychology and Religion from the Christian Theological Seminary/Butler University in 1979; and earned her PhD from Purdue University in Human Development and Family Studies in 1985. Upon completing her doctoral studies, Daisy taught family sociology at IUPUI and established a counseling practice focused on supporting women facing life transitions.
Following fifteen years of community and professional work, and once again facing the challenge of breast cancer, she felt the need to deepen her faith and strengthen her spiritual connections. Daisy began sponsoring spiritual retreats for women and curating an art collection focused on spirituality. In 2002, Daisy was able to combine both her faith and love of art by obtaining a D. Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Over a span of 50 years, Daisy served on many of the community boards responsible for allocating medical, financial, housing, social, cultural and educational resources to the citizens of our community. She was a founding member of the Butler Tarkington Neighborhood Association and the Center for Leadership Development. Daisy served as a member of the Commission for Higher Education and was a Commissioner of the Public Housing Authority.
