Funeral service for Earon Keith Floyd of Tipton, Oklahoma will be at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at the First Baptist Church of Tipton with Rev. Les Banks officiating.  Burial will follow in the Tipton Cemetery under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home of Frederick.  Keith departed this earth in Oklahoma City, OK on August 10, 2022, at the age of 81 years, 11 months, and 2 days.

Earon Keith Floyd was born to Jimmie D. and Jerald Dean (Russell) Floyd on September 8, 1940, at Frederick, Oklahoma.  Keith grew up and lived most of his life in Tipton.  He graduated from Tipton High School in 1958.  He played football and baseball throughout his high school years.  In addition, he served as editor of his high school newspaper and was President of his Senior Class.  In his FFA chapter, he was vice-president and won trips to Washington D.C. and Old Mexico as the state winner of speech and cotton contests.

Keith attended college at Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Central Oklahoma.  Having been ordained as a Baptist minister on April 12, 1959, at the First Baptist Church in Tipton, Keith served three years as pastor of the Tesca Baptist Church while a student at O.B.U.  He also enjoyed working summers at Camp Classen YMCA Camp near Davis, Oklahoma, and at the Central Branch YMCA in Oklahoma City while at U.C.O.

After college, Keith began working as a financial consultant for Dial Finance Company in Oklahoma City in 1963.  He transferred as an Assistant Manager to Dallas, Texas in 1966 and was named Manager of the new Dial Finance office in North Dallas in 1966.  He served in that capacity until 1971 when he moved back to Tipton and took the Sports Editor position with the Altus Times Newspaper.  At that time the Altus Times had 100 employees in its plant and 13 in its newsroom.

Keith remained with the Altus times for 32 years before retiring in 2003.  While at the Altus Times he won many awards as a sportswriter. Those include multiple State-wide first places in both sports columns and sports features categories at the Associated Press/Oklahoma News Executives annual conventions.  In addition, he was awarded first place for Sports Features by the Oklahoma Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Keith was inducted into the Jackson County Athletic Hall of Fame as a sportswriter in 1985 "in recognition of his outstanding support and contributions to the Athletes of Jackson County."  Keith served several years on the Board of Directors for the Altus Boys Club while covering high school, college, and professional sports as a sportswriter.  In addition, Keith enjoyed traveling, fishing, hunting, camping and was a serious fitness participant for many years after retiring from the newspaper.

Keith's commitment to his family was admired by many people for the example he set by forgoing a promising career and providing a lifetime of loving care and support for his family.  His reputation among the family is spoken of in "Legendary" terms for the level and lengths Keith would go to assure that his sisters, Mother, and Father were adequately provided the opportunities to live life to its fullest.  Keith's absence will leave an unfillable void in all the hearts of his family and friends.

He is survived by three sisters, Janice Kirk and her husband Bob of Altus, Oklahoma, Donna Stockton and her husband Don of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and DiOnetta Petkoff and her husband Jimmy of Keller, Texas; two nephews, Jason Kirk and his wife Cassady of Aledo, Texas, and Jared Petkoff and his wife Carey of Denton, Texas; seven great-nieces and nephews, Kannon Kirk, Kolson Kirk, Greyson Petkoff, Elizabeth Petkoff, Skylar Kirk, Wyatt Kirk, and Deacon Kirk; other relatives, and many friends.

Keith was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Jerald Dean Floyd, along with two infant brothers and an infant sister.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, for Cancer Research, or the First Baptist Church of Tipton, Oklahoma in memory of Earon Keith Floyd.