Richard Dean Floyd

Richard Dean Floyd, M.D., known as Ric by family and as Bapa by his grandchildren, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, November 25, 2024, surrounded by his loving family in Clermont, Florida. Ric was born and raised in Rushville, Indiana. He graduated from Anderson University and Indiana University Medical School. He completed his internship and residency at Methodist Hospital (now part of Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital) specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He always felt honored to be an advocate for women. After devoting himself to a wonderful and fulfilling thirty-plus year career as a partner at OB-GYN Associates in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ric retired in 2008 and left Hendricks County, Indiana to live in Richmond, Virginia, near family. Ric often reminded his family that although he had moved out of Indiana, he was still a Hoosier at heart, and after spending 11 years in Richmond, he convinced his wife, Sue, to return to Hendricks County, Indiana where they had raised their children. Ric also understood that a successful marriage is about compromise, so he and Sue would pack up their Indiana home each October to spend the winters in warmer climates, first making a winter home in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and later in Clermont, Florida, a short distance from Walt Disney World. Ric admitted he did not want to see another snowflake or experience another Midwestern winter, but his pull to be home in Indiana was stronger than his love of warm weather, and each spring he and Sue returned to their Indiana home when he felt the itch to smell the dirt of planting season. In his retirement, Ric unfortunately did not achieve his lifelong dream of becoming the Monorail driver at “the most magical place on earth” because he was instead having too much fun visiting the Disney parks with Sue at any time as annual pass holders, going to his Indiana farms to walk the woods and watch the corn and soybeans grow, sharing his extensive bourbon collection with friends and family, turning his yards into flowering works of art, ensuring the blue jays and hummingbirds were well fed until they and their babies headed south for the winter, golfing with his buddies, traveling across the United States and the globe, and attending Eagles concerts. Ric also took up running as a hobby, and in addition to completing the 2007 Walt Disney World Triathlon at age 60, he ran numerous half and full marathons, including the first ten Walt Disney World Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenges, for which he got up at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday to complete the Walt Disney World Half Marathon and then again on Sunday to finish the Walt Disney World Marathon, running a total of 39.3 miles throughout all four of the Disney parks. He felt a true sense of accomplishment! Ric also loved reconnecting with his Rushville friends by attending their many high school reunions and spending countless hours reminiscing about their childhoods in rural, small-town America. He loved to tell stories and create laughter. A lover of projects, Ric became a published author by writing Come Share My Foxhole, a memoir of his parents’ experiences during World War II. After his parents’ deaths, he acquired the many letters of correspondence they exchanged while his father was stationed in Europe during the war. He found their love story in those letters. A lifelong learner, Ric was an avid student of the Civil War, World War II, and his family’s genealogy. Ric was the proud husband of Susan Jo (Crane), to whom he was married for 55 years. Ric and Sue were married on August 2, 1969, at Park Place Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, when they were both 21 years of age (just puppies, as Ric would say) and before Ric’s senior year at Anderson College. They met nine months earlier when Sue made the out-of-character and life-changing decision to stop her white Volkswagen Beetle to pick up a group of hitchhikers near campus, one of whom was Ric. After their first date, Ric thought Sue, the “prettiest girl on campus,” was completely out of his league, until one night while studying he heard pebbles hitting his window and looked out to see Sue standing below his dorm room with homemade cookies. All throughout their long and loving marriage, Ric continued to marvel that Sue Crane had chosen him to be her lifelong best friend and husband. Ric is survived by his beloved wife Susan Jo, their four children: Jennifer Floyd Woodfin (San Jose, California), Jeanne Ellen (Richmond, Virginia), Michael David (Houston, Texas), and Mark Edward (Jennifer) (Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania); and eight grandchildren: Elizabeth Caroline, Ruby Juniper, Zachary James, Hazel Merit, Wilder Isham, William Joseph, Evangeline Liana, and Julian Elijah. Ric is also survived by his sisters: Sharon Baumgardner (Steve), Beckie Robertson (Loren), Janita Heckathorn, and Pattie Carmony (Todd). Ric was predeceased by his parents, Karl Richard and Evelyn Mabel (Yoder) Floyd, and his older brother, Larry Thomas. Ric was as reliable and dependable as the day is long. He expressed his love through action, and his family knew with 100% certainty that he had their backs, was there for them, and was each loved one’s “number one fan.” He was a huge presence in their lives and will be dearly missed. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 12, at Moster Mortuary in Rushville, Indiana, with visitation from 11:00 until 12:00, and the service at 12:00 p.m. Interment will be immediately after the service at East Hill Cemetery, Rushville, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Rushville Animal Shelter at rushvilleanimalshelter.com or the Park Place Church of God’s More Than A Steeple Campaign at https://www.ppchog.org/steeple.

Tributes

Richard Dean Floyd

November 25, 2024