William Floyd

William Ronald Floyd, 89, of Ashland City, passed away on September 26, 2021 in Nashville Tennessee surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in Lewisburg, Tennessee to James Greer and Rosa Tennessee Floyd on October 2, 1932.  Known as Ronald while growing up, as an adult he was known as Bill. He graduated from Marshall County High School in 1951 and immediately joined the U.S. Navy where he would spend the next twenty years, eventually rising to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. His first assignment was aboard the USS LST 825 where Bill and his fellow sailors would earn the Korean War Medal during action in the Pacific near the Korean peninsula. Later as a young sailor in San Diego he would meet and marry Joan Woods in 1953.  They were married for 64 years. On May 18, 1955 their only child Rhonda Ellen Floyd was born.

During Bill’s naval career he would: experience sea duty again during the Vietnam War; be assigned to the admiral’s staff in the Philippine Islands; attend Intelligence School in Washington DC; be assigned to the office of Naval Intelligence in Lisbon, Portugal; and eventually be assigned to the American Embassy in Tokyo, Japan before retiring from the Navy in 1971.

Bill earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Memphis State University. Continuing his passion for the security and law enforcement work, he spent the rest of his career first at Wackenhut Security, then Director of Corporate Security for Genesco Inc., and eventually Director of Corporate Loss Prevention at Sherwin Williams Company. During those years, Bill and his family lived in Cleveland Ohio, the Tennessee cities of Nashville, Franklin and Murfreesboro before moving to Assisted Living in Ashland City.

Bill was predeceased by his father James Greer Floyd, his mother Rosa Tennessee Floyd, brothers James Greer Floyd Jr., and James Taylor Floyd, and his loving wife Joan Floyd.  He is survived by his daughter Rhonda Ethridge and her husband Timothy Ethridge of Nashville TN; brother & sister-in-law Richard and Ursula Floyd of San Francisco CA; grandchildren and their spouses: Kate and Jeremiah Love of Ashland City TN; Nicholas and Brittany Ethridge of Chattanooga TN; Kirsten and Collin Edwards of Salt Lake City UT.

A graveside service will be conducted 1:00PM Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at Williamson Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s name can be made to the Nashville Humane Society. WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, 615-794-2289 www.williamsonmemorial.com

Service Information

Wednesday, September 29th, 2021 1:00pm, Williamson Memorial Gardens

Interment Details

Williamson Memorial Gardens