Wilma Nilene Floyd

Wilma Nilene (Donald) Floyd was born February 29, 1926 (A leap year baby that celebrated on the 28th) in Kansas City, MO. To Frank Leslie and Edith Ferne (Harris) Donald. Nilene graduated from High School. She married Lee T. Floyd on September 2, 1943. Lee treated Nilene like a princess, she said, “every time we went anywhere he bought MC something.” He passed away on August 18, 2005.

Nilene worked as a receptionist, a wife and Mom to Lee Thomas Floyd, Jr. Tom was the light of her life and she was so proud that he had followed in his father’s footsteps working for the Kansas City Police Department. Her granddaughter Amy was so special to her and she enjoyed their visits. She was so proud that Amy was a nurse and often spoke of that.

After Nilene and Lee retired they enjoyed traveling, square dancing and being together. They lived in a retirement community in Florida, where they were King and Queen of Medieval Times in Kissimmee. She said they had to eat every meal. It was a lot of food!

Nilene and Lee moved to Ridgeway where they would be closer to Tom, after he retired. They made many new friends and enjoyed eating out and going on all kinds of adventures. After Lee passes away in August 2005, Nilene stayed in their apartment. Her son, Tom passed away a few years earlier, leaving her without family close by. Nilene was a member of the Ridgeway Methodist Church and went to club and card parties weekly. She enjoyed eating out and going shopping, and just running around. She had a great love of shoes, purses and hats. She was a snazzy dresser and loved wild and crazy clothes. The brighter the better. Nilene had a love of sweets, Chocolate and her Coke Cola were her favorite and she even had a drink of her Coke the morning she passed away.

Nilene’s friends Maxine and Judy adopted her and took her into their lives and those of their families. She attended parties and celebrations, holidays and fun times with all of them. She loved all the babies at Maxine’s. She enjoyed holding and loving on them, as well as watching the grandkids grow up and have babies of their own. Becky and Rita would take Nilene to doctor appointments and shopping with Maxine. If Maxine went somewhere, Nilene was usually along. Nilene and Maxine would travel together in one of their cars, everyone was somewhat glad when they both gave up driving. Nilene had said if she could not pass her driver’s test in 2018 that she was going to stop driving. She passed her test and she was up town playing cards that week. She and Maxine enjoyed running around and looking out for each other.

Nilene and Judy would always “do a little shopping” when she was with Judy’s family. She spent a lot of her holidays and other times visiting and staying a few days, Come to find out her “little Shopping” was a good deal, as Judy and her sister Joanne had both worked at JCPenney’s and always had discounts. She would come home from every visit with a few bags of things she had found. Nilene loved the kids, and especially the grandkids there. She always looked forward to her visits to the city and had lots of stories to tell when she got home. Fairly recently she told Jackie, when asked about her high heels that she would still wear them if she could walk in them. Kole had painted her a picture that was very special to her. It had their family and Nilene was included. She loved when the boys came to visit, as well as the big kids too. Nilene enjoyed the times she got to visit her late sister in law Cleo as well as visits with her nephew Marty. The phone calls and flowers from Marty were some of the highlights of these past few years.

Last October, after a stay in the hospital, Nilene knew she wouldn’t be able to stay in her apartment in Ridgeway, she made the move to Lamoni Specialty Care in Lamoni, IA. She, as always made the best of the situation and went to all the activites and events held there. Her best friend, Maxine was close by as well as some of her other card playing friends. She said, she had forgotten how to keep score to Hand and Foot and Becky wrote it out for them. She said, "none of us can see or hear, but we just do our best and have fun”. The Staff at the home of course fell in love with her and spoiled her, her favorite thing there was the whirlpool tub. Even at the nursing home she wore her snazzy outfits, jewelry and hats, She was still that fashion plate that she had always been.

Nilene was a kind and caring soul, with a huge heart. She was so thankful for anything that was done for her. She loved life and made the best at whatever life handed to her. She will be missed by so many people, as she has touched so many people in her lifetime.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Lee, son Tom, sister-in-law Cleo, and other family members.

Survivors include: granddaughter, Amy Floyd and mother Joan Infranca, great-grandchildren, Kabren and Brendan Riddle, nephew, Marty Jones, and cousins; special friends, Maxine Williams, Becky and Everett Harding, Rita and Bob Tuggle, Judy and Bob Harwig, and Joanne Chard. Honorary Grandchildren: Rob, Erin,Keilan, Kole, and Kameron Harwig, Jackie Harwig, Chris Stump, Caid and Natayla Shelby, Natasha, Chase and children, Rhonda, Wes, Cory, Janie, Kyle, Rachel and children, and Cassidy Booth, Tim, Sheila, Jake and Emma Harding, Tom and Karen Harding, Anthony and Lisa, Austin and Jason Tuggle.

Services at Newcomer’s Floral Hills Funeral Home, Thursday, October 3rd, 2019 at noon, visitation at 11 AM. Burial at Floral Hills Cemetery in Kansas City, MO.