John Flynn, 92, of San Luis Obispo, California, passed away on Nov. 7. He was born at home in Ferndale, on May 16, 1931, the oldest of three brothers, to Bernard Flynn and Rosemary Regli.
In his youth, John worked at his parents’ dairy farm and at the local newspaper, The Ferndale Enterprise. He attended Ferndale High School, excelling at football. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951 and was stationed at the Pentagon, Pearl Harbor and the USS Boxer.
After the service, he moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly, majoring in printing engineering. There he met Barbara Russell. They married in June of 1957 and were married 54 years, raising two children. John worked for almost 35 years at Blake Printery as their lithographer. Retiring in 1993 provided an opportunity for him to travel and engage in many family activities.
John was a fervent San Francisco 49ers and Giants fan, rarely missing a game on TV. He is survived by his brother Ray Flynn, his son David (Ann) and grandchildren Brandon Saunders, Matthew, Mark and Kelly Flynn, great-granddaughter Bryanna Saunders and two great-great grandchildren. He was proceeded in death by his brother Jerry Flynn, wife, daughter Cathryn Smith and a grandchild, Morgan Smith.
This article appears in ‘Reclaiming Their Ancestral Lands’.