Floyd C. Douglas

 Floyd Cate Douglas, age 92, formerly of Dandridge passed away Friday, March 17, 2023. Preceding him by a little over a month was his “pride and joy”, his wife of 71 years, Mercedes.  Well-known in the community as “Floyd C”, he never knew a stranger; people were his passion. He faithfully served his beloved Piedmont Baptist Church as deacon, Church Training Director, and Sunday School teacher for many years. It gave him great joy to minister in the community by driving the church bus, bringing children to church. If there was a church service, he was there! Floyd invested further in his community by representing Gideons International in speaking engagements and giving out Bibles.  He served as County Commissioner in his district for several years, was in the Lions Club, on the Planning Commission and was named 2010 Republican of the Year. During his commissioner years, he also performed numerous weddings. Though his wife’s health determined that he was needed at home in their later years, he never lost his love of “people-ing” out in the community.  One could not be in Floyd’s presence long before he began to share out of the wealth of his life experiences. He owned, operated and sold cars for more than 50 years. No matter how long it had been since he had sold a car, he still remembered the person and the make and model of the vehicle he sold to them. For a time, he owned a Rambler dealership in Newport. Floyd worked for many years at Ted Russell Ford in Knoxville. Because he was so good at what he did, customers followed him from dealership to dealership, purchasing whatever he sold. After his “retirement”, he owned and operated a used car lot; his love of cars and motorcycles never faded. Though always a salesman, he still hung on to the ’48 Ford he and Mercedes had “courted in.”  He was also proud that, at 92, he still had his motorcycle license.  Floyd was one of the few remaining who remembered when TVA first came through the county with electricity when he was 10 years old. From his life archives, he could still tell you about being one of the last people to see Hank Williams, Sr. alive when he worked as a clerk at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville.  Floyd was preceded in death by his son Gavid, his brother, Roy and his parents, Floyd R. and Anna Lou Douglas. He is survived by his son, Donald (Teresa) Douglas, grand-children, Brian (Alison) Douglas, Derek (Maureen) Douglas and Lindsay Douglas. Great-grandchildren are Gabriel Douglas and Cailin Douglas.  Family and friends may gather at Piedmont Baptist Church, 1226 W Dumplin Valley Rd, Dandridge, TN 37725 on Sunday March 19, 2023.  Visitation is from 2:00-3:00pm with a memorial service following at 3:00pm.  In lieu of flowers, living memorials in Floyd’s honor may be made to The Gideons International, Jefferson County Camp, P.O. Box 1245, Dandridge, TN 37725.

ARRANGEMENTS BY FARRAR FUNERAL HOME, DANDRIDGE, TN www.farrarfuneralhome.com