I had the honor to know and work with Lloyd Kliebert for over 20 years, ever since I became the attorney for Local 1167-P. For just about all of that time, Lloyd was the Union President, or “El Presidente,” as he would say in the voice messages he would leave me.

All of us who had any contact with “El Presidente” know he was totally dedicated to Local 1167-P and the fundamental principles of labor unions. He would advocate on behalf of an individual worker or the entire Union far better than any international representative or lawyer could ever do, because no one ever questioned his deep commitment and everyone knew he spoke from the heart.

He was the real deal — a genuine, tell-it-like-it-is type of guy.

To me, Lloyd was a hero. If I would have ever said that to his face, he probably would have laughed and told me it was just another of my nutty ideas, like writing a Local 1167-P cookbook or creating a Union bonfire for the Gramercy Festival of the Bonfires.

But on March 20, 2009, a lady named Erin Andrea — whom I have never met — proved me right. She described what it means to be an “everyday hero” and this is what she wrote:

So often when people think of what a hero is, they think of fictional characters like Batman, Superman, the X-men, etc. People who help in a crisis and are out there to save the world and make it a better place. To me, a hero is someone who makes a difference day to day in the lives of multiple people, or even just one person. A hero is someone who can be counted on, and is respected. A hero is someone who is trustworthy and who is there to listen to someone who is having problems and give advice when asked. A hero may not make noticeable differences in the world, but what a hero does do is make differences in the lives of those around them, and do it solely because they care and not for what they could potentially gain from it. The qualities I think a hero should possess are: trustworthiness, honesty, accountability, unselfishness, loyalty, caring, loving, passionate…

That was Lloyd Kliebert.

While I was driving to Gramercy for Lloyd’s funeral on Feb. 14, despite being very sad, I got a big smile on my face; first, because I knew what Lloyd would have been saying about my driving if he were riding in the car with me, and secondly, because it hit me what Lloyd’s first question to St. Peter will be when he meets him at the Pearly Gates.

I can just hear Lloyd asking, “Do you have a union here?” And then, he’s going to get to work.

St. Peter has no idea what he is in for!

Thankfully, the odds for those of us who may be on St. Peter’s “Not Sure Whether To Let In List” have just gotten a whole lot better with Lloyd there to negotiate for us.

Sheila C. Myers

New Orleans