Emmett Owen Floyd

Rear Admiral Emmett Owen Floyd, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy Reserve, (Ret.) passed away Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 1:53 p.m. at his home surrounded by his family. He was born in Griffin, Ga. in March 1928 to parents, Henley B. and Elizabeth Owen Floyd.
He held degrees from Mercer University in Macon, Ga. and Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky. In addition, he earned a Doctorate in Philosophy of Religion from San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, Calif.
On June 5, 1948, he married Katherine Holmes of Sandersville, Ga. They have five children, Marian Katherine Floyd, Elizabeth Floyd Painter, David Emmett Floyd, Karen Holmes Floyd and Karyl Floyd Wilkie; 10 grandchildren, Nathan Painter, Gavin Painter, Courtney Floyd Wadsworth, Lindsay Floyd, Brittany Floyd, Jenna Wade, Alyson Wade, Dacey Parker, Cole Worst, Kelli Worst; and one great-grandson, Gage Couch. He was very proud of all of them.
He served on active duty in combat with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment, 1st Marine Division, FMF from 1952-53. In his service, he received the Legion of Merit, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and nine other decorations. Retiring from active duty in 1954, he began a new church in Decatur, Georgia, which grew to over 800 members. He served as president of the Atlanta Christian Council, and the Atlanta Jaycees honored him as "Atlanta's Outstanding Young Man of the Year" for 1959.
In 1962, he was recalled to active duty for two years at the Marine Corps Helicopter Station in Jacksonville, N.C. He was aboard the USS Okinawa (LPH-3) standing 10 miles off Guantanamo Bay during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
Released from active duty in 1964, he accepted a call from Union United Church of Christ in Windermere, Fla. In 1967, he began his ministry at Congregational UCC in Greensboro, where he remained for 13 years. During that time, he served as president of the United Church Board for World Ministries and as a member of the National Executive Council. He also served as part-time Adjunct Professor of Religion at Greensboro College. He served as president of the Southern Conference and was a trustee of Catawba College.
In 1980, he accepted the call to become Conference Minister of the Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ in Atlanta, Georgia, where he served until retirement in 1988.
He remained active in the Naval Reserve, serving many assignments including Division Chaplain for the Fourth Marine Reserve Division. In 1980, he was selected as Rear Admiral, Deputy Chief of Chaplains for Reserves, from which position he retired in 1984.
After retirement, he stayed active as an interim pastor for some dozen churches in the area. He had been active in the Elon Community UCC congregation where he served many positions, including one term as Moderator.
The memorial service will be held at Elon Community UCC on Saturday, March 30th at 1 p.m. Visitation will follow in the community center.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Building Fund of Elon Community Church or Hospice of Alamance-Caswell.
Grateful to God for 65 years of companionship with his beautiful wife whom he loved deeply and for the many friends and support from so many people, he died thankfully and peacefully.
The Cremation Society of the Carolinas is serving the family.