Floyd Sidney Ditson

Floyd Sidney Ditson was greeted by Jesus when he took his last earthly breath on September 13, 2026 after a brief illness. He was born August 25, 1928, to Howard and Edna Grace Ditson in Broken Bow, Nebraska. He was followed 11 months later by sister Doris Jean (who is lovingly referred to as his Irish Twin) who predeceased him in 2015. He has two younger brothers, Donald of Frankfort, IN, and Alan Laverne of Bertrand, NE.

Floyd’s family moved often during his childhood, due to the depression of the 1930’s and permanent jobs were scarce. When his family moved to Arnold, NE, he was in 5th grade and continued there until the 10th grade. He graduated from high school in Maxwell, NE.

On his 18th birthday, Floyd enlisted in the Army Air Corps, hoping to become a pilot. With the war coming to an end, though, the need for pilots also ended. He ended up in administration and, after going through basic training in San Antonio, TX (his first time outside the state of Nebraska), he served for two years at Lowry AFB in Denver, CO.

In 1947, he married Margaret Hilderbrand. Still in the military, which officially became the US Air Force that year, he was transferred in 1948 to F. E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne, WY where his son, Roland, was born. Floyd finished his military service wearing First Sergeant stripes and moved back to Maxwell, NE where he was able to rent a farm. He later purchased it and turned it into a Grade A dairy. The family grew as son Eugene arrived in 1953, daughter Rita Jo was tragically stillborn in 1955, and daughter Sherry arrived to much delight in 1957.

In 1957 at a service at the Maxwell Baptist Church, he received Christ as his Savior. His training under Pastor J. Ross Fountain led him to a greater interest in faith and in the Bible. In 1960, he sold his cattle and farm equipment, rented out the farm, and moved to Denver, CO to attend Baptist Bible College.

During college, Floyd worked at Montgomery Ward, and by taking summer classes was able to graduate in 3-1/2 years in 1964 with a degree in Bible Education from Denver Baptist Bible College. He received an invitation from three families in Watertown, SD to start an independent Baptist church. While the whole story is too long to tell, the help of a friendly bank, a lot of voluntary labor and free services, the group built a home for their pastor with an oversized attached room to hold services and that could later become a three-car garage. In a matter of months, the building was dedicated to God’s work with 102 in attendance, predominantly new converts. While there, he earned his Master’s Degree in 1969, also from Denver Baptist Bible College.

Other ministries followed, including Emannuel Baptist Church of Casper, WY, Calvary Baptist Church of Delano, CA, and First Baptist Church of West Sacramento, CA. In addition to pastoring, he served as a Board Member, Junior Camp Director and Memorial Day Director of Family Camp at Lucerne Christian Camp, Lucerne, CA; a Board member of Denver Baptist Bible College, Denver, CO and the Gospel Literature Mission of India; and as President of the Fundamental Baptist Churches of Northern California.

It was while in Sacramento that the family added another daughter, Dana, in 1972. It was also where more education followed. Floyd earned a Doctor of Theology from San Francisco Conservative Theological Seminary, who then, in 1974, bestowed upon him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree, his greatest personal accomplishment.

In 1975, Floyd divorced, left the ministry, and moved back to Denver to be close to his grown children. He returned to work at Montgomery Ward at 555 South Broadway. The speaking voice for overhead announcements was his for several years. Wards was very kind to him and after several promotions, he was transferred to the Boulder, CO store in 1981 to become the Operating Manager. It was there he met and worked with Laurel Abrahamsen, a recent CU graduate. This became a pleasant time for both and then became more. They were married on April 9, 1983. Though many people questioned the union because of the age difference, they were truly blessed. Their son, Matthew, arrived in 1985 and daughter, Kaia, in 1987. When the kids were growing, the family augmented their classroom education with travel. Summer vacations included tent camping in different sections of the US. By the end of high school, both kids had visited almost all 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska, and had several European countries in their passports (plus Canada and Mexico).

After leaving Wards, Floyd worked in sales and fast-food management before founding Colorado Mobile Locksmith. His business focused on commercial locksmith work and allowed him flexibility in his schedule. He used his time well, ensuring he was home when the kids came home. He also served in over 400 military funerals as part of the All Veteran Honor Guard at Ft. Logan National Cemetery. After 27 years and at the age of 89, though, Floyd decided climbing ladders and driving 35,000 miles per year were for younger people and he sold the locksmith business – but not the Mustang he had purchased to drive to his job sites, much to the awe and amusement of his customers.

Floyd and Laurel never lost their desire to travel, and traveled together to 27 countries on six continents. His last international trip was a celebration of his 95th birthday which circled Ireland and Northern Ireland. They took a domestic vacation to Sandpoint, Idaho two weeks prior to his falling ill. Floyd’s last travel, to his heavenly home, he took alone, but was embraced by his Savior and will be waiting patiently for Laurel to join him in God’s perfect timing. He is also survived by his six children, two brothers, 17 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, one great-great-granddaughter, and countless friends.

His Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, October 8, at 2:00 pm MDT at Foothills Bible Church, 6100 S. Devinney Way, Littleton, CO 80127. Live streaming will be available at https://www.youtube.com/live/FLF4fMaEAsc.

Floyd will be laid to rest with military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery on Friday, October 16, at 9:30 am MDT.