Longtime Gadsden Times opinion columnist John F. Floyd dies at 86
Funeral arrangements are pending for John F. Floyd, who wrote a column that appeared on The Gadsden Times’ opinion page for more than a decade.
Floyd died Friday; he was 86.
A native of Gadsden, Floyd graduated from Gadsden High School in 1954, and later from Auburn University.
He went to work at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant and ultimately rose from the shop floor to a management role that ultimately took him to Topeka, Kansas, in 1969 as production manager, then to a plant manager’s role at Windsor, Vermont, and Tyler, Texas.
He later became director of United Kingdom manufacturing for Goodyear, with responsibility for plants in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Floyd moved in 1981 to a job as vice president of manufacturing and international relations for General Tire & Rubber Co., where he was responsible for manufacturing operations in Charlotte, N.C., Barnesville, Georgia, Akron, Ohio, Mayfield, Kentucky, and Mount Vernon, Illinois.
He became Chrysler’s director of manufacturing in 1988, serving until his retirement in 1998. He moved back to his hometown from Kokomo, Indiana, in 2015.
Floyd had begun writing opinion pieces for The Times three years earlier, commenting on local, national and international issues.
“John was an interesting and perceptive man,” said Times’ Editor Greg Bailey. “He generally took a conservative stance in his commentaries, but he couldn’t be pigeonholed and that helped make his offerings effective. I enjoyed knowing him and working with him, but more than anything, I enjoyed just talking to him. He will be missed.”
Floyd’s wife of 60 years, Connie, a college professor, died in January.
He is survived by son, John F. Floyd, Jr.; daughter-in-law, Kimberly Floyd; granddaughters, Breanna Elizabeth Floyd and Shelby (Sean) Bayford; and great-grandchildren, Bentley and Paisley.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Times opinion columnist John F. Floyd dies
