As a member of Company L, 128^th Infantry Regiment, of the 32^nd Division, Beloit’s National Guard Company, Ted Florey was called to the service of his country in 1940, as the drums for World War II were beating closer and closer to the United States. Quickly promoted to Lieutenant, he and his fellow citizen soldiers of Beloit served in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II, experiencing the horrors of jungle warfare. Following the end of the War, then Captain Florey, a combat veteran, with two Purple Hearts for wounds received, Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star for valor in combat, remained in the service and ultimately was assigned as the head of the R.O.T.C. detachment at Beloit Memorial High School and soon promoted Major. When the Korean War commenced in 1950, Major Florey was assigned to Korean Advisory Council and earned a second Combat Infantry-man Badge and second Bronze Star for service in that conflict.

Retiring from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1960, Mr. Florey enrolled at Beloit College, graduating in 1963 and commenced a new career, sharing his knowledge and experience with young people, as a social studies teacher at Beloit Memorial High School, in the same life’s skills developed by him while leading young people as a military officer. Ted Florey never stopped serving. He was an active member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, VFW Post 2306, the Red Arrow Club and was a spokesperson for veterans of Beloit. He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Rotary Club of Beloit, the Elks Club and a life member of the American Philatelic Society.

He was an active member of the Masonic Lodge, Shrine and Zor Shrine of Madison. Mr. Florey served as President of the Beloit Historical Society and as a member of the Rock Country Historical Society, was elected as a member of the Rock County Board of Supervisors where he served for a number of years. His wife Catherine Smith Florey predeceased him in 1989 and he was survived by a son, Theodore Florey, Jr. and two granddaughters.