LIANNE FLORENCE LAY FLOYD,

82, of Sherwood, as fierce as the birds of prey she rehabbed and released back into the Arkansas wilderness, found her wings October 18, 2020.

Born December 28, 1938, in Houston, she and her younger sister grew up in Miami, Fla., with their mother’s British immigrant family and Texan father. In choir at Miami Edison High School, Lianne got her pigtails pulled by Johnny Barrett Floyd and a romance ensued. After graduation, Johnny joined the U.S. Air Force, and he and Lianne married. Lianne made a home wherever the military sent them – from Maine to California, to Georgia, to Okinawa, back to Maine and finally to Arkansas – most of those assignments with three kids and a reluctant Scottish terrier in tow.

In Arkansas, Lianne was a band mom, an ambulance driver for the Runyan Acres Volunteer Fire Department, and a Little Rock Zoo volunteer. Her love of animals led her to wildlife rehabilitation. She volunteered for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for many years, at first taking in mostly small mammals and songbirds. But it was the birds of prey, the owls, hawks, and eagles that captivated her and she became licensed to care for them. Lianne released hundreds of birds back into the wild after being in her care. Dementia stole many memories from Lianne in the last years of her life, but she made a lasting impression on those who knew her.

Lianne is preceded in death by her parents, George and Irene Lay; her sister, Julie Steelman; and her husband, Johnny. She is survived by her children, Elizabeth Jones, Chris Floyd, and Jennifer Bridgeman; grandchildren, Robbin Chapman, Adrian Jones, and Noah Jones; great-grandson, Rowan Jones; nephew, George Steelman; and niece, Melanie Steelman.

Memorials may be made to Raptor Rehabilitation of Central Arkansas (rrca-raptors.org). A celebration of Lianne’s life will be held in the near future. Contact the family for details.