Praise Network President and broadcast engineer Lloyd Mintzmyer, 66, died Sunday, Oct. 14 in a traffic accident on U.S. Highway 183 in Phillips County, Kansas.
Chairman Herb Roszhart says that Mintzmyer joined the Praise Network board after his retirement from television engineering, serving for several years on the board of directors before becoming the organization’s president in 2005. Mintzmyer is described as hands-on, continuing his engineering work even after his appointment as president.
“I wish we could find another guy like him,” Roszhart said.
He also emphasized Mintzmyer’s competence and qualifications, as well as his importance to the organization.
“His first love was engineering,” Roszhart explained, offering that Mintzmyer was likely overqualified for his work at Praise Network. “He loved getting the stations running. I think he felt quite at ease working with the radio transmitters.”
His obituary mentioned that he was a HAM radio man who also enjoyed restoring antique radios in his spare time.
Mintzmyer attended the National Electronics School in Denver, Colo. before he entered the U.S. Navy to serve in the Vietnam War, from 1966-1972. He went on to work for Smoky Hills Public Television from 1981 to 2004, serving as chief engineer for the station. The station has put up a notice of Mintzmyer’s passing.
Mintzmyer is survived by his wife, Karen, and three daughters, Tracy, Jody and Katie, as well as a sister, Arlene.
A funeral service will be held Thursday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. at the High Plains Baptist Church in Hays, Kan.
Established in 1988, according to Roszhart, Praise Network has about 20 licenses for AM/FM stations and translators in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and South Dakota, including KPRD(FM) in Hays, Kan., KGCR(FM) in Goodland, Kan., KGRD(FM) in Orchard, Neb., KPNO(FM) in Norfolk, Neb., KGRJ(FM) in Chamberlain, S.D. and KGRH (Loomis, S.D.). The organization is a nonprofit corporation that supports religious radio programming.
