Born in an Oklahoma coal mining town, Floyd Grady left his mother and brothers for Princeton Seminary. He and Loida Burgess, a mish-kid from Guatemala, became missionaries to Brazil in 1947. They were assigned to the most rugged mission area of Mato Grosso state. Their pioneering work developed 5 churches, 53 preaching sites, schools and a clinic using horses, weapons carrier, and eventually a plane to reach settlements in that Amazon-like area. In 1958 he became a Seminary professor and participated in negotiations between the nationalistic Brazilian Presbyterian Church and the missions of US Presbyterian Churches. He also helped lead the Brazilian Board of National Missions.