Community remembers beloved Columbus Co. first responder who died of COVID-19

Many people are in mourning on Monday after the loss of a beloved first responder this weekend. 

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Many people are in mourning on Monday after the loss of a beloved first responder this weekend.

55-year-old Robert Floyd volunteered with the Evergreen and Cerro Gordo Volunteer Fire Departments in Columbus County for more than three decades. After spending more than a week in the hospital, Floyd died on Sunday from complications due to COVID-19.

“I don’t really know how to explain it. He’s a brother. He loved me, I loved him,” Garrett Floyd said.

Garrett Floyd, Assistant Fire Chief in Cerro Gordo, wasn’t related by blood but that didn’t change their bond of brotherhood.

“My youngins, he’s uncle Robert to them. He loved his family and he considered a whole bunch of people family. Like I said, I consider him family myself,” Floyd said.

Shane Barnhill, Fire Chief in Evergreen, also considered Robert Floyd a brother. Barnhill says he was always willing to help, from giving advice to being the first on the scene of a fire call.

“Never met a stranger. He was family to everybody in the community. He was just an outstanding citizen,” Barnhill said. “Robert was loyal and dependable. If he was your friend, he was your friend. I mean, he was just an outstanding guy.”

After Floyd died on Sunday, several first responders from the area came to Columbus Regional to escort his body from the hospital to the funeral home.

Funeral services with honors are being planned for Sunday, January 30 at 2 pm at the Worthington Funeral Home Chapel in Chadbourn. Burial services will follow at the Evergreen Community Cemetery.