Floyd Russell Buffington, 81, of Springdale passed away Thursday, January 3, 2019 in Springdale. He was born December 26, 1937 in Marshalltown, IA to Maxwell and Dorothy Barker Buffington.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, David Buffington.
Floyd had quite a list of accomplishments. In April of 1993, he saved the life of 16-year-old girl who had been thrown from a car into a farm pond due to a single vehicle accident. May of 1994, he was the Illinois Driver of the Month from the Illinois Motor Carrier Association. In 1995, he was the National Truck Driver of the Year. He received the Illinois Governor Letter of Commendation for saving the life of Christina Brown. Floyd was a recipient of Rep. Jerry Weller Member of U.S. Congress Letter of Congratulations. He also received the U.S. Dept of Transportation and U.S. Dept of Transportation Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration letters of commendation. Floyd was also awarded the National Safety Council and American Trucking Association letters of commendation. Other letters of commendation include the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety and the Presidential Citation from President Bill Clinton in 1996. From 1995-1996 he was on A.T.A. America’s Road Team. He received from the City of Springdale commendation for the heroic rescue of a drowning 3-year-old girl from a neighbors swimming pool, August 2, 2002. Floyd was employed by C.F. Motor Freight from January 1968 to September 1998 retiring after almost 31 years. His retirement came after 4.2 million miles with no accidents or traffic tickets. He was a 50+ year member of the American Truck Historical Society, a 50 year Master Mason and a 50 year Shriner. He was also included as a member of Scottish Rite and York Rite Masons. Floyd was a U.S. Army veteran having served 31 months overseas. He was a member of the VFW, American Legion, Past Commander and D.A.V.
He is survived by his wife, Karen of the home, to whom he was married 55 years; two sons, Jon Buffington and wife, Martha of Maastricht, Netherlands and Scott Buffington of Santa Fe, NM; two brothers, Kenneth Buffington and wife, Theresa and Dennis Buffington and wife, Sondra, all of Marshalltown, IA; and a granddaughter, Claire Buffington.
A Celebration of Life will be 3:00 PM Saturday, January 12, 2019 at the Scimitar Shrine Temple, 632 W. Riverfront Dr, N. Little Rock, AR 72114.
Cremation arrangements by Beard’s Funeral Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Attn: Office of Development, 2900 N. Rocky Point Dr, Tampa, FL 33607 or visit
What a wonderful life he had. I remember him as being so full of energy. Our prayers are with you and the family.
I will miss our conversations at McDonald’s. My condolences to the family.
Floyd was a wonderful neighbor and friend to all. Our street will never look as tidy. He will be greatly missed for many reasons.
Dear Family: I am so sorry for your loss. I worked with Mr. Buffington at Consolidated Freightways in Atlanta. I am blessed to have known him. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. He will be missed by so many.
To the Wonderful Buffington Family, This is Duke and Holly Wall, Son Of Sondra Buffington. We did not personally know Floyd, but have heard Many stories through my Stepfather Dennis. What a GREAT and accomplished man he was!! You all have to be VERY proud of all he has done, as we are!! Our Love.Thoughts and Prayers are with you all through this tough time. Floyd has done is deed, and is very blessed to have such a Wonderful Family!! God Bless you all!!! Duke and Holly Wall Family
Floyd was a great friend and neighbor. He always had a big smile and would do anything to help you if you needed it. We are going to miss him around the neighborhood, especially the cold beer 😊.
I am soo very sorry to hear of the passing of Mr. Buffington. He has been on my mind for several months and I tried to call him. I work for the Secretary of State and he would always call or email me to order the traveler certificate for his friends that came to visit. One time he came to visit me here at the capitol and brought me several packages of gum. He was always very kind to me over the phone. He would always talk about caring for his wife. After several attempts to reach him, the last was today, I decided to google his name to get a phone number and that’s when I found out he had passed. We were phone friends and I will truly miss him. I pray a member of the family gets this. A great man has gone on to be with his Father in heaven.