Jonesboro- Jean Popejoy Floyd, 100, passed away Thursday, December 22, 2022.

Jean was a nine and half pound baby, born on Halloween night, 1922, in the tiny town of Cropsey, Illinois and named Dorothy Imogene Popejoy. She was a shy and very obedient child and loved to learn.

When Jean was in the third grade, the first IQ tests were just developed. Since she was five when she started first grade and after taking these tests she was allowed to skip half of the third grade and half of the fourth grade, she graduated from high school at the age of 16. While in high school, a love of cartwheels and all sorts of physical activity made her the first to incorporate acrobatics in to cheerleading back in the 1930's, when the tiny town of Cropsey's basketball team won the State Tournament.

Off for college in 1939 to Illinois State Normal University, she let her love of jitterbugging get in the way of her academic duties and was a college drop out after a year and half  which resulted in getting her first job at the home office of State Farm in Bloomington, Illinois.

Leaving State Farm, she settled in Dallas, Texas where she was employed at Guiberson Diesel Engine Company with was a war plant supplying the war occurring at this time in 1943. With Jean's loyalty to her country, she enlisted in the United States Navy. She attended boot camp at Hunter College, New York City. Then attended Oklahoma A & M, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, getting Yeoman training. She was then stationed at the Navy V-12 unit at Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas for yeoman duty. She also served duty at Memphis, Tennessee, New Orleans, Louisiana and lastly the Department of Interior, Washington, D.C. during this time her love of learning promoted her to Chief Yeoman.

During this tour of duty, she had an exceptional experience. Personnel were invited to a White House Garden Party. There was a reception line which consisted of President Trumann, Margaret, Bess, Eisenhower, Forrestal and other dignitaries. Just as Jean was shaking hands with President Trumann, the Paramount News cameras caught Jean and she was in the news in all the theaters. At this same time of duty there was the shocking news when Forrestal killed himself by jumping out of a window at Bethesda Maryland Hospital.

After an honorable discharge, Jean returned to Illinois State Normal University under the G. I. Bill of Rights and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. During the following twelve years of teaching Physical education in Illinois, she spent her summers going to graduate school. She attended the University of Hawaii at Honolulu, Hawaii, Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois and received her Masters degree in physical education at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, California. She then left teaching and became a graduate assistant, teaching students at University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois where she warned a PHD in physical education. This led to a position as Chairman of the Women's Physical Education Department at Michigan State University.

After five years, Jean left the teaching profession and settled in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1975, which she calls her home. She worked at Arkansas State University and many other jobs in Jonesboro. With her love of learning, she completed three more degree after she reached sixty years of age. She earned a BS in Technology and Management, Printing and her sixth degree in Digital Media and Design at the age of eighty-four.

At the same time, Jean's devotion to love of nature and home gave her pleasure in rescuing feral and stray felines from their miserable life. She is leaving her life-long savings to the "trap-neuter-return" program that will not only help Jonesboro, and possibly surrounding areas, be a NO KILL community, reduce the population of suffering felines, inspire the community to become interested in donation and keeping the program in effect, taming the trapped kitties, giving them shelter and food and loving.

Jean treasured all the friends she has had in Jonesboro and leaves with praise, peace, love and laughter as her contribution to life.

Service will be private.