Sarah Annie Massey Floyd

Funeral service for Sarah Annie Massey Floyd will be Monday, February 3, 2014 at 4:00 PM at First Baptist Church. Rev. Marty Carnes and Rev. Dr. Milton C. Gardner will officiate and interment will follow in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Mrs. Floyd passed away at her home on January 31, 2014. Visitation will be at the Allen and Allen Funeral Home on Sunday, February 2 from 2:00-4:00 PM. Born March 31, 1918 in Thomasville, she was the daughter of the late Joseph MacIntyre Massey and Nola Lee Persall Massey. She married the late Rupert Evans (R.E.) Floyd on September 16, 1933. She loved deeply, always putting her family and others first, and was loyal to God, family, friends and the Bulldogs. A member of the First Baptist Church for 87 years, she was intensely loyal to her Sunday School class, the Joy Class, and all the ministers of the church. She always encouraged them in their work. She loved the little children and taught Sunday School to the children and worked in the nursery for many years. Sarah Annie modeled sacrificial love her entire life. She worked at the Belk store on Broad St. and later on at Neel’s in the men's department for many years, retiring from Neel’s at age 75. She was an excellent seamstress, and made many of the clothes for her children. With her friend and neighbor, Mrs. Franklin, she made many costumes for Juanita Porter's dance studio before the studio recitals. The family has fond memories of the living room covered with costumes, with sequins everywhere. Known as “Miss Bulldog,” she enjoyed the sports side of life, which started with her father taking her to most any sporting event in town, including boxing, when she was a child. She competed as a high jumper in high school. Her dad relented and allowed her to jump in shorts, but she had to put a skirt on after each jump. She is survived by her children: Howard (Roberta (Robbie) Holbrook) Floyd; Rebecca (Becky) (Charles Teachey) Floyd, and Cynthia Floyd Miller. Grandchildren: Deborah Floyd (Stanley) Fiveash, Donna Floyd Courson, Scott Floyd, Shan (Rosie Chastain) Miller, Bret Miller, and Maria Miller (Shea) Browning. Great-grandchildren: Stacy Fiveash (Kenneth) Hayes, Kristin Courson, Caleb Courson, Peyton Miller, Sarah Rose Miller, Leah Browning, and Aidan Browning. Nephews and Nieces: Joseph (Debra) Massey, Jr., Windi Massey (Brad) Dees, Jim Massey, and Mack ( Veronica) Massey. Bulldog Running Buddy: Dotty Thompson. She was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Massey; mother Nola Lee Massey; husband, Rupert Evans (R.E.) Floyd; son, Rupert Evans Floyd, Jr.; brother, Joseph Massey; sister, Mae Pearl Massey; sister-in-law, Celeste Champion Massey, son-in-law, Clinton Miller; and nephew, Champ Massey. Sarah Annie was an optimist and a winner. It is doubtful that anyone ever heard her predict a Bulldog defeat for Thomasville or the University of Georgia. For many years, she didn't miss a Thomasville home football game, and until her health declined, she didn't miss many away games. She tried to be at all the the basketball and baseball games, and while she said she didn't understand soccer, she still pulled for and supported the teams. She received many awards for her support of the Thomasville High School Bulldogs: She and husband, R.E., were named honorary coaches of the THS Bulldogs in 1971 and she was selected as Bulldog #1 Fan by the Thomasville Touchdown Club in 1981. Sarah Annie was elected as the first female president of the Thomasville Touchdown Club in 1985 and was awarded Special Lady Award in 1991 and named Bulldog Mom in 1992. She received a resolution from the Thomasville City School Board of Education and a Proclamation from the City of Thomasville in 1993 for her dedication and support of the Thomasville Bulldogs. She was selected for the Thomasville-Thomas County Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. In 1994, the Sarah Annie Floyd Sportsmanship Award was established to recognize the senior female athlete that exemplifies the qualities of citizenship and leadership that are reflective of Thomasville High School and the Athletic Department. Sarah Annie received the Beverly Sanders Raines Award in 2008 from the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association, which is given annually to a person or persons who has contributed in a supportive role to the ideals for the betterment of athletics in his/her school, community or the State of Georgia. Being a life-long supporter of the Georgia Bulldogs, in 2006, she was awarded the Dan Magill Award presented to her by the Albany Bulldog Club for loyalty, dedication and commitment to the University of Georgia. Christmas, 2013, was very enjoyable to her because all of her family and many friends were with her on Christmas night. She told Kristin, her great granddaughter, that “this may be my last Christmas, but I sure hit the jackpot.” While her family will miss and grieve the passing of Mama, Grandmama, Grandma, Bulldog Grandma and Big Sissy, and her friends will miss Sarah Annie, we understand, paraphrasing John Newton , “we are still in the land of the dying, while she is now in the land of the living.” Based on her life philosophy of faith, love, loyalty and strength, her last message would probably have been to trust God in all things, and, no doubt, she would have slipped in a “Go Dawgs.” She is now celebrating the final victory of her life. She is with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First Baptist Church P.O. Box 2790, Thomasville, GA 31792, Thomasville High School Touchdown Club, P.O. Box 784, Thomasville, GA 31799 or Dugout Clubs, 208 Montrose Dr., Thomasville, GA 31792, Gideon’s International, P.O. Box 2361, Thomasville, GA 31799 or Hospice of Southwest Georgia, 114 A Mimosa Dr., Thomasville, GA 31792.