January 14, 1931 — April 18, 2026
Lloyd R. Van Horn, 95, of Mason City, passed away Saturday, April 18, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center surrounded by his loving family. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 N Pennsylvania, with Pastor Beverly Butler officiating. Interment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 North Pennsylvania, from 5-7 p.m. Memorials may be directed to the family of Lloyd Van Horn.
Lloyd was born on January 14, 1931, in the family home in Mason City to Clara and Vernon Van Horn. He grew up during the Great Depression and learned the value of hard work and managing one’s finances. By the age of eight he was an entrepreneur, selling overripe bananas door to door. He attended Mason City Schools until he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. He worked jobs in the Mason City and Charles City area, realizing he someday wanted to have a business of his own.
He met the love of his life, Margaret Opkis, in 1949, and they were married February 18, 1950. The couple spent 71 loving years together before her death in 2021. They were blessed with four children: Connie (Bob) Zinnel, twin boys, Terry (Sue) and Larry Van Horn, and Vicki Eckman.
In 1950, Lloyd started hauling scrap metal and by 1952 opened Van Horn Auto Parts in Mason City. A second salvage yard was opened in Buffalo Center in 1961, which remained open for 23 years. He later traded that land for farmland in Mason City. Lloyd would go on to become Small Businessman of the Year along with several other awards, including the Founder’s Award.
He started collecting antiques and attending shows, sales, and swap meets, and in 1989 Lloyd combined his love of history and antique trucks by opening Van Horn Antique Truck Museum in Mason City. It was open for 18 years. He loved the search for antiques and all the friends he and Margaret made along the way, both across the United States and in meeting people from all over the world who came to the museum. Later, he would author three books stemming from his experience with antique trucks.
Lloyd was known as a storyteller and practical joker who worked hard and loved his friends and family deeply. He could make friends with anyone he ran into. His broad knowledge, witty banter, and amicable personality will be sorely missed.
Lloyd is survived by his daughters, Connie (Bob) Zinnel and Vicki Eckman; daughter-in-law, Sue Van Horn; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Margaret; his sons, Terry Van Horn and Larry Van Horn; son-in-law, Geno Eckman; and his parents.
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For decades I’ve lived across the highway from Lloyd’s operation. He was a master class salesman and would stop in with “projects” or just to “shoot the breeze”. One day my employees said he had borrowed a crowbar. Well, a couple of months later pulled in and that he had a new project and i jokingly said I thought you were returning my crowbar. He didn’t remember about it and I said “fagedaboutit”.
For the next three days he hunted me down. On day four he pulled in and said come out to my truck.
I opened the door and it was full of new crowbars in EVERY size. he said “take whatever is right”. That is the kind of guy he was.
I also remember a tour of his personal mini museum that he described as “the best of the best”. Absolutely amazing!! A first class guy.
i worked for lloyd in the 60’s. he told me several stories, one, he would buy a junk car and pay for it with a check, rush ome cut it up and haul it to mason city metal and iron, sell it, take the money to the bank before the check cleared. 2nd he was working for the turkey farm hauling manure. he just got paid and put the money in his wallet that he ended up looseing while hauling manure. he said him and margreat were out till late hours going thru the manure lookin for the billfold, which he did find.
wild!