Floyd Allen Nagler, age 73 of Prior Lake, passed away with loved ones by his side on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. A time of gathering will be held for Floyd on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 from 4-7 PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation, 4565 Pleasant St SE, Prior Lake. Floyd will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery with full military honors at 2:00 PM on Thursday, October 5, 2023. If attending the burial, please arrive to Assembly Area #2 by 1:45 PM. A Mass and Celebration of Life will be held for Floyd at a later date.
Floyd was known for a lot of things. He was a loving husband. Devoted father. A faithful friend. Mr. VA. Ricky Recon. The Command Sergeant Major. A helper to those in need. A giver of warm fuzzies and hugs. And to his siblings, he was always their big brother Floydie.
Floyd was born on June 11th, 1950, in Iowa City, Iowa to Robert Nagler and Anita Dittman. He grew up in Minneapolis, MN with his mother and sister Jeannette, where he attended Bancroft Elementary, Bryant Junior High, and Central High School, but always loved his summers spent with his father’s side of the family in Kalamazoo, MI with his siblings Barbara, Lisa, Fred, Tanya and Moni.
Floyd was raised in a family that was very world focused. His father was heavily interested in world politics and his mother was a Holocaust survivor from Germany. By the age of 16, Floyd had already decided that he wanted to become a Marine. Everything he focused on in school, from swimming to running to wrestling, was all a part of his plan in becoming a Marine.
Seven days after graduating from high school in 1968, Floyd enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After completing infantry and reconnaissance training by the end of August 1968, Floyd was sent to Vietnam from January to December 1969. He initially served with line infantry in combat with C Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, for a month and a half, calling in artillery and serving as the radio man for author Karl Marlantes. He then later transferred to the Bravo Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, where they conducted deep reconnaissance missions inside North Vietnamese Army territory, serving as an assistant team leader. During his time in Vietnam Floyd completed 27 reconnaissance missions and received two purple hearts for his service to our country.
In June of 1970 Floyd began a career on the civilian side, with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Over the course of his 30-year span with the VA, Floyd advanced his way up to become Chief of the Veteran’s Assistance and the Veterans Services Division Manager for the Minnesota VA Regional Office. He also supervised 6 VA overseas Transition Assistance program sites and the Veterans Benefits Counselors running them. Floyd always considered his work at the VA to be one of those miracle jobs that brought so much meaning and gratification to his life, in helping to counsel veterans coming in to apply for benefits and helping to fix their problems.
After attaining the rank of E-7 Gunnery Sergeant with the Marine Reserves, Floyd transferred to the Headquarters Company of the 88th Army Reserve Command and was a First Sergeant of the headquarters. From there he served in the Army Special Operations Command with the Psychological Operations. Floyd served as Command Sergeant Major for the 360th PSYOP BN, the 134th Military Intelligence BN. Combat Electronic Warfare Intelligence during Desert Storm and finished his military career with the Army Reserve 402nd Civil Affairs BN.
Helping and connecting with fellow veterans was always a passion in Floyd’s life. He helped to organize and create the 3rd Recon Association, which is dedicated to connecting the Marines and Navy Corpsmen of the 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division who served in Vietnam. In 1990 they held their first reunion and had over 600 people in attendance. The unit has continued to have reunions ever since. Floyd was also an active member with the 2 Eagles Detachment of Minnesota chapter of the Marine Corps League and the Prior Lake VFW. If there was a project, repair, or brat sale, Floyd was always ready to help.
Floyd lived a very full life even beyond his career with the military and veterans. He was always on a quest for knowledge. He loved learning about the world around him. He was an avid traveler and visited many countries around the world both through his work and as pleasure. His favorite place to spend time though, was relaxing up at his cabin on the North Shore of Lake Superior. He cherished taking trips and hunting for rocks and petrified wood with his wife Jan. He also loved to spend time with his friends, relatives, and especially his two daughters Gina and Danielle, shared with former spouse Diane. A handyman extraordinaire and master gardener, Floyd loved to keep busy with gardens and house projects. If you needed help with your household repair, he would gladly do that too. Need a new bathroom? A four-season porch? A pond for your backyard? Floyd was the friend to call.
Floyd believed it’s good to be ambitious, to have goals, and to want to be good at what you do, but never let ambition get in the way of treating people with kindness and decency. What a good person leaves behind is forever. We are all just occupying a very short piece of time here on Earth, and Floyd hoped that what he did with his time made the world and its’ people better for it- And he absolutely did.
Floyd is preceded in death by his father, Robert Nagler; and mother, Anita Dittman Rowden. He is survived by his wife Jan Franta; daughters, Gina (Tim) Smith and Danielle Nagler; stepmother Elly Nagler; siblings, Jeannette (Ralph Knauss) Lynch, Barbara Nagler, Lisa (John Urbance) Nagler, Tanya (Jonathan) Cunningham, Fred (Elizabeth) Nagler, and Moni (Tom) Allen; and many other relatives and dear friends.
If so inclined, donations can be made in memory of Floyd to the Prior Lake VFW, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Organization, or to a charitable organization of your choice. As Floyd was an avid gardener, flowers are always a welcome token of appreciation too.
