Jake Delane Floyd, 92, of Nashville, Tennessee, long-time resident of Shreveport, Louisiana, and originally from Barnesville, North Carolina, passed on to glory after a battle with cancer on Sunday, February 14, 2021, at his home with his family by his side.
He was born May 27, 1928 in Robeson County, North Carolina, to the late Dewey Gaston Floyd and Cleo Clyve Warwick Floyd. Following high school, Jake joined the United States Army Air Corp in 1947, the precursor to the U.S. Air Force.
His military career during the Cold War Era, World War II post military occupation, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, included tours of duty to Japan, Iwo Jima, Philippines, Guam, South Korea, Iceland, Libya, Vietnam, and various U.S. Air Force bases and missile sites. He provided communications and
energy resource support for those on the frontlines. He related details of his service in an interview that is now catalogued in the Library of Congress by StoryCorp. (https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/dda002946/)
After retirement from the Air Force, Jake spent his civilian career in heavy industry as a machinist, electrician, and tool and die specialist and supervisor.
Jake was quick to define his crowning achievement as his role as a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, mentor and friend. Time spent with family was his greatest joy and he used his skill as a master gardener, woodworker, mechanic and avid fisherman to provide for his loved ones. If it was a plant, he could grow it; if it was a fish he could catch it and cook it; and if it was broken or in need of repair, he could fix it! His deep, abiding faith in Christ was established not only from the unseen, but from the perils of his life experience.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Bonnie Faye McDaniel Floyd of Nashville, Tennessee. He is survived by daughter Cynthia Floyd of Nashville, Tennessee; daughter Constance Allen of Gulfport, Mississippi; and daughter Cheree Bailey and husband Robert T. of Nashville, Tennessee. He is also survived by grandsons Robert Thomas Bailey, III and Jacob McDaniel Bailey of Nashville, Tennessee; Jack Gordon Allen of Gulfport, Mississippi; William Boyd Bailey of Nashville, Tennessee; Bradley Floyd of Simi Valley, California; granddaughter Danielle Floyd of Mojave, California; brothers Ray Leamon Floyd, Joseph Morris Floyd, Giles Brantley Floyd, and Moses Gaston Floyd of North Carolina; and sister JoAnn Rushton of Idaho. In addition to his wife, he is preceded in death by his sons, Alan Floyd and Ronald Dean Floyd, and his infant daughter Darlene Floyd.
The family will hold a graveside service on Saturday, March 6th at the Centuries Memorial Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana. Pallbearers will be Robert Thomas Bailey, III, Jacob McDaniel Bailey, Jack Gordon Allen, William Boyd Bailey, and Scott Peavy. Honorary pallbearers are Michael G. Crain, Jeremy M. Crain, Justin M. Crain, Jared M. Crain, and John Clearwaters.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Air Force Assistance Fund (www.afassistancefund.org)
