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John Flynn, born to parents, Raymond John Flynn and Ethel Korten-Flynn on March 28, 1945, who once answered to the childhood nickname “Pint,” was a professional long-distance truck driver by trade who also went by the citizen band (CB) radio handle, “Spanky.” Originally from Paterson, New Jersey, John was a long-time resident of Florida and North Carolina. As a professional driver, John traveled all over the country before eventually retiring to Port Orange, Florida. As an accomplished carpenter and a residential and commercial electrical technician, John loved to drive throughout the Tampa Bay area (FL) and proudly point to the buildings he helped build. At 6-foot 3, “Big John,” yet another appropriate moniker, was a gregarious, affable fellow – full of life - with a hearty laugh that often turned to a hiss if your joke caught him just right. He was known by his friends to be the kind of guy that was well-liked even by those who barely knew him. Having never served his country in the military, as a retiree, John proudly served his community with the Port Orange Police Department’s Volunteer in Police (VIP) Services and later his country in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (Florida and Michigan), which he loved very much. Later, during his time in Traverse City, Michigan, John worked for Menards where he made a lot of friends. Although a high school graduate, John always wished that he had gone to college, so in his fifties, John went back to school and received a degree in Criminal Investigation and worked, for a time, as a Private Investigator (FL). If you knew him well, you’d know that John was a video game fanatic, but sadly incredibly illiterate when it came to computers, which was something that he and his son always laughed about. As a proud Irishmen and a “Flynn,” John enjoyed searching for and learning about his family’s heritage. John loved to eat good food, drink and sing aloud when the occasion called for it, and to be merry. Some of his fondest memories, he admitted, were spent with his adult children, playing darts, drinking Irish whiskey and having a good time. Often mistaken for the famous actor, Anthony Quinn, John delighted in pretending for only a moment that he was the famed actor and then enjoyed people’s reactions when they realized they were mistaken. John enjoyed a good mobster and spy flick and once considered writing a novel. As an artist, John was a good painter and a very talented illustrator. John Flynn passed away peacefully on April 5, 2020, from natural causes. He was 75-years old. John leaves behind a devoted family: Betty Flynn of Sanford, Florida and her three children: Kerry McIntyre and Kasey and Gary Flynn, all of whom loved him like a father. He is survived by an older brother, James “Jim” Flynn of Hamburg, New York; the remainder of the Flynn kids (Raymond, Anna Marie, and Albert – deceased - may they Rest in Peace). John is survived by his daughter, Kelly Flynn (54) of Traverse City, Michigan, and John Declan Flynn (51) of Tarpon Springs, Florida; his grandchildren, Ashley Flynn, Amanda and Adam Ladd, Kayla and Rachael Flynn, and; his great grandchildren, Savannah and Ava Genton. “He loved in his own way, having never been shown how to love really, he’d say, and as imperfect as he may have been, he admitted, he always looked back after saying goodbye if only to show you one last time that he truly cared and did love.” May God Bless him and keep him. Amen.

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