Mary Read FLOYD

Wallace
US Army
World War II
September 4, 1919 - February 14, 2017

Wallace Carl Floyd, 97, of Fort Smith passed away Feb. 14, 2017, in Fort Smith.
He was born Sept. 4, 1919, in Clark County.

Wallace served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he attended Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history and political science. Wallace received his masters degree in educational administration from Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) in Nashville, Tenn. While at Ouachita, he met his wife, Mary; the two were married on Aug. 22, 1948, and were together more than 63 years until her death in 2012.

Wallace began his Arkansas public education career in 1949 as a high school history teacher in Bryant and he soon became the elementary principal in Bauxite. He served for two years as a supervisor with the Arkansas Department of Education. Wallace served in the Fort Smith Public Schools beginning in 1961 until his retirement in 1986. His roles included director of elementary education, director of K-12 instruction and assistant superintendent for instructional services.

Wallace received numerous awards and recognition during his tenure with the Fort Smith Public Schools. Some of these include: International Paper Company Award for Economics Instruction, Citation of Appreciation Award presented by the National Council on Economic Education “in recognition of significant contributions to the continuing cause of better economic understanding,” Spirit of the Frontier Award from the city of Fort Smith, establishment of the Fort Smith City Council PTA “Wallace C. Floyd Award” given annually to the outstanding elementary school PTA unit, Outstanding Service Award from the Fort Smith Public Awareness Committee and the Golden Apple Award from the Fort Smith Classroom Teachers Association.

Wallace was also active in the community. He was past president of the Noon Civics Club, past president of the Fort Smith Historical Society, past president of the Friends of the Library, past president of the Mental Health Association, past chairman of the Fort Smith Public Awareness Committee, past chairman of the RSVP Advisory Council and served on the Board of Directors of the Fort Smith Boys’ Shelter. He was a member of First Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon. He taught Sunday school for more than 65 years.

He is survived by son, Gordon Floyd and wife Rebecca of Fort Smith; daughter, Elizabeth Malone and husband Ben of Gulf Shores, Ala.; granddaughter, Rachel Stevens and husband Chris of Little Rock; and great-granddaughter, Nora Stevens of Little Rock. He is also survived by a brother, Edward Floyd of Fremont, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; parents, Tom and Alice Floyd of Arkadelphia; two sisters; and three brothers.

Funeral service will be Friday at 10 a.m. at Edwards Funeral Home Chapel with burial to follow at Roselawn Cemetery all under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.

Mary
December 6, 1921 - February 25, 2012

Mary Read Bremerman Floyd, 90, of Fort Smith, passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2012 in Fort Smith.
She was born December 6, 1921, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mary moved to Denison, Texas as a young child. She graduated from Denison High School and worked at Kraft Industries during World War II. After the war, she attended Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. Mary received her Masters Degree in Education from Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) in Nashville, Tennessee. While at Ouachita she met her husband Wallace: the two were married on August 22, 1948. Mary taught elementary school, with the majority of her career spent teaching second and third grades at Ballman Elementary in Fort Smith. She was a master teacher who received national recognition for excellence in teaching economics as well as a Golden Apple from the Fort Smith Classroom Teachers' Association. Mary was also a member of the Delta kappa Gamma education sorority. She retired from teaching in 1985. Mary was a dedicated member of First Baptist Church in Fort Smith where she was active in the Seekers Sunday School Class.

She is survived by her husband of 63 years Wallace Floyd of Fort Smith; son Gordon and wife Rebecca Floyd of Fort Smith; daughter, Elizabeth Malone and husband Ben of Farmington, New Mexico; and Granddaughter Rachel Stevens and husband Chris of Fayetteville, AR.

She was preceded in death by her parents Paul H. and Katherine Elizabeth Ford Bremerman and two brothers Paul and Robert Bremerman.

Funeral service will be Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 10:00 AM in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel with burial to follow in Roselawn Cemetery all under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.

Photo courtesy of Frances Allen Titsworth

Contributed on 7/18/23 by Billsully060
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Record #: 1493220

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