MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Floyd Bonner Sr., a pioneering Memphis police officer whose quiet perseverance through the Civil Rights era inspired his son to become Shelby County’s first elected African American sheriff, died Oct. 13, 2025. He was 91.
Bonner began his law enforcement career with the Memphis Police Department in 1963, walking the beat at a time when few Black officers wore the uniform. He was on duty when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, a moment that tested both the city and those who had sworn to protect it.
In a 2018 interview with Action News 5 following his son’s election, Bonner Sr. reflected on those early years:
“At that time Black officers weren’t treated fairly, so I had to walk a thin line because they wanted to get rid of me, but they didn’t.”
Determined to widen opportunity, he twice sought the office of Fayette County sheriff, paving the way for others even before the region was ready to elect a Black law enforcement leader. When his son, Floyd Bonner Jr., was sworn in as Shelby County’s 47th sheriff in 2018, it was a proud moment that fulfilled a dream that started a generation earlier.
Sheriff Bonner Jr. told Action News 5 that year:
“By me being a junior, certainly I looked up to my dad. Seeing him be a police officer influenced me … maybe I’d like to do that for a living.”
Beyond the badge, Bonner Sr. was known for his easy smile, his love of football, fishing and family and his daily conversations with his son. In recent years, as his health declined, the two spoke nearly every day — still an inspiration and a constant presence in his son’s life until the end.
He is survived by his son, Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. and a host of relatives and friends who will remember his humility, humor and unshakable example of service.
Arrangements will be announced by the family and Serenity Funeral Home.
