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 Richard R. Flynn, Sr., age 74, of Wayne, passed away on Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
He was born in Newark. At an early age, the family moved to Montclair, where Richard was raised. He lived in Lake Tamarack before moving to Wayne in 1975.
When Richard was just two years old, his mother Catherine (Dacey) Flynn passed away. He was raised by his father Francis and his stepmother Helen (Conrad) Flynn. Richard met his future wife Karen Crescente on a double date; they fell in love, he proposed, and they married on February 3, 1973 at Saint Francis RC Church in Wanaque. They have enjoyed forty-four years of loving marriage and are best described as "absolute soul mates."
He will be remembered as a funny, fun loving, Mr.-Fix-It who was always cracking jokes and just loved to laugh. He always had a project and was constantly building or making something – he just couldn’t sit still. He enjoyed classic cars and liked to go to area car shows. Richard was a lifelong crossword puzzle enthusiast who regularly tackled the "expert" and "challenger" puzzles. For many years he and his family enjoyed vacations at Wildwood and other locations on the Jersey Shore, where he loved the ocean, boogie boarding, and playing shuffleboard.
Richard served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1964 to 1970. He was a union electrician, having worked with IBEW Local 52 in Newark and later Local 164 in Paramus. He was a foreman for the Reynolds Electric Company in East Hanover, where he was a valued employee for over forty years before retiring in 2005.
For many years Richard coached for the Wayne Little League and served on their Board of Trustees. He was also an avid weekly league bowler at the T-Bowl Lanes in Wayne. Richard served as an Officer and Trustee of the Honorable Judge Joseph J. Crescente Lodge 2382, Order Sons of Italy in America, in Wanaque. You will notice the lodge carries Richard’s wife’s maiden name, as it was named in honor of her father.
Richard is survived by his beloved wife Karen (Crescente) Flynn; dear sons Richard Flynn, Jr. of Pompton Lakes and Sean Flynn of Wayne; dear brother James Flynn of Myrtle Beach, SC; dear sister Mary Rutan of Whiting; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his loving parents Francis and Catherine (Dacey) Flynn; his stepmother Helen (Conrad) Flynn; and four dear sisters: Joan Lawson, Patricia Lockhart, Barbara Bannon, and Nancy Hall.
Friends may visit with the family on Saturday, May 27, 2017 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
After visitation, funeral services will be held at the funeral home at 12:45 PM and then at Annunciation R.C. Church, 45 Urban Club Road, Wayne, where a 1:30 PM Mass will be offered.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Wayne First Aid Squad, PO Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07470.
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David Appleton
Remembering Richard Flynn
Richie was one of those high school friends with whom you wish you could maintain a life long relationship. Unfortunately I didn’t. But I do have many fond memories of Richie in MHS and beyond.
Like lunches at Andy’s, the deli at the corner of Chestnut and Forest Streets where we dined on “Andy Sandwiches” during lunch breaks from school…. Actually we were not allowed to leave the MHS “campus” during lunch hour in the ’56 – ‘60 school years. But Andy Sandwiches, prepared by Millie Ferrara’s father and his sous chef’s, were much desired, and the clandestine attainment of them was all the more enticing.
On one of these forbidden forays 2 blocks up Chestnut Street to Andy’s that we dubbed Richie “Errol Flynn.” It was 1957 or ’58 when the Castro Revolution was at the top of the news. The real Errol Flynn had joined the rebels cutting a most attractive and romantic figure through the national news of the day. Talk at Andy’s often featured contemplation of us heading to Cuba to join Castro, Flynn and Guevara in the revolution.
As Castro grew more communistic and the US became more anti-communist these dreams soured and faded. Richie’s desire to migrate to Cuba waned as well.
After High School Richie was most famous for his Hudson Jet. We called it the “Flynn-Jet” with merciless ridicule. This was a compact car introduced in the mid ‘50s that effectively destroyed the Hudson Motor Car Company. It was a stupid car. But Flynn loved his and suffered our constant derision by defending his wheels with muted giggles.
Richard never went to college but immersed himself in his electrician career. I’m sure he was good at it. We hung out together with a bunch of Montclair n’er-do-wells in Upper Montclair at Zeevalk’s Sunoco, Bonds, The Valley Diner, and later at Tierney’s. and a pizza place on Pompton Avenue in Little Falls where we would stop for a late night snack after a beer run from NYC or Greenwood Lake.
Those were fun times from which I’m surprised most of us emerged alive. Richie laughed delightfully through it all. This laugh rings on in our memory. Rest in Peace, Richie.
David Appleton, 12/16/2017
Mildred Ferrara (Scola)
Dave, What a nice tribute to our classmate, glad to hear Daddy’s store added to his joys of growing up in Montclair. We always laugh, because Art Artale use to tease my sister, that our dad would make us go collect bottles from the school grounds to get the 2 cents on returns, ( Not true) but he new my sister would be embrassed. I was just proud he was working hard to support his family, even if it was making sandwiches. Happy to hear it brought memories to friends. I miss so many of our close friends, Joan Romano, and Carol Fornoff, especially this time of year. Rest In Peace all of our special friends, you may be gone but your memories are not forgotten. Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, and a healthy happy 2018