'What we should be striving for.' Family, friends celebrate pastor Ricky Floyd at funeral

Yahoo

28-03-2025

Pastor Ricky Floyd, a beloved minister, husband, father and friend, was laid to rest on Friday in Memphis. And while the service was at times tinged with sadness about the death of a man heralded as a community advocate, it was also a celebration of his life's work, work that many speakers encouraged those assembled to carry on themselves.
The dozens of speakers praised his faith, his steadfast friendship, his commitment to community and his love of Memphis, especially Frayser.
The homegoing celebration was a recognition of Floyd's life and achievements as a pastor, friend, husband, father and community member. His family was comforted, praised, prayed over and thanked during the hours-long service.
"I know it's just the processional, but we don't do this like everybody else does," a religious leader said as the crowd erupted into applause and hallelujahs as Floyd's family walked into his funeral service.
The family was the last to enter the sanctuary at Greater Imani Church, the Cathedral of Faith. They filled the remaining seats in the center row as the choir sang over the nearly 30-minute procession.
Family also spoke about how they had not lost their faith in God's plan after Floyd's shooting death, how they continued to believe in Floyd's work on behalf of Jesus and how they intended to carry his ministry forward.
Floyd was killed in a shooting Downtown on March 12. His funeral saw a large section of his church, elected officials and other religious leaders gather to remember a man who has been called Frayser's "beacon of hope."
Many of the speakers recalled first meeting Floyd, many of whom he eventually called family. They recalled the strength of his faith, with Agape CEO David Jordan referencing Floyd leading 72 hours of prayer that preceded 52 days without a murder in Frayser.
Memphis City Councilwoman Rhonda Logan drew parallels between Floyd's life and Jesus'.
"I Googled Jesus' reputation in the community in the Bible. What came up was, 'Complex, marked by both adoration and opposition as he challenged the established norms and traditions,'" Logan said. "And that was Ricky Floyd. He challenged the status quo."
Memphis Mayor Paul Young also spoke at the service, saying Floyd was a friend and someone who kept him grounded and cognizant of the work that needed to be done as he assumed the mayor's office. He told those in attendance to celebrate Floyd's life and follow his example of improving communities and bettering the lives of people around them.
"This is a celebration, right? We are celebrating the life of someone that has had a tremendous impact in our community. I often like to think about the fact that, when it's all said and done, there's nothing more powerful than to be able to say that your sheer presence on this earth, the mere fact that you were here, has made somebody else's life better. That's what we should be striving for," Young said.
Bishop Charles Bond told an anecdote about his time as a pastor for a small church in Mississippi. One day, a flower delivery meant for a new bank that had opened up was sent to the church, while flowers meant for a funeral at the church were sent to the bank.
The card on the flowers that ended up at the church read, "Congratulations on your new location." Bond passed this message on to his departed friend, whom he said he knew was in heaven.
"Congratulations on your new location," Bond said to Floyd.
Commercial Appeal editor Corinne Kennedy contributed to this report.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: [phone] and [e-mail], and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Family, friends celebrate the life of Memphis pastor Ricky Floyd