John Robert Flynn
John Robert Flynn
John Robert Flynn, age 80, passed away on Dec. 12, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Carmel; sons Sean (Tricia) of Phoenix and K.C. (Lisa) of Henderson, Nev.; grandchildren Kellen, Riley, Aidan, and Cooper; and siblings Jean Mitchell of Portland and Kathleen Cunningham of Sacramento. He is predeceased by his brother, Jim. John also has 39 nieces and nephews. He lived in Portland and Milwaukie, Ore., until 2004, then moved to PebbleCreek in Goodyear, Ariz.
John was born March 26, 1942, to Ruth (Green) and Jim Flynn in Portland, Ore. He grew up in the Irvington district of Portland and attended Madeleine grade school, Central Catholic High School, and the University of Portland. He received an MAT degree from Portland State U in 1965 and a School Administration degree in 1983. He also attended Northwestern Law School for a year.
In 1970 John married Carmel Lanigan, his beautiful bride from Ireland. They enjoyed time with their children and grandchildren, traveling, visiting with friends, literature, films, and music. John played in a folk group at St. Ignatius Church, where they were married, and later at St. John the Baptist Church in Milwaukie where they lived for 30 years. He enjoyed playing Kingston Trio songs since his high school days and still performed at times at their PebbleCreek home until recently. Carmel and John traveled to Ireland many times to visit relatives and also toured Europe and Australia.
John taught and coached for 32 years at Hood River, Medford, Rex Putnam, and Milwaukie high schools and coached tennis at Clackamas, LaSalle, and Agua Fria high schools. In 1981 he became a USTA umpire, which he continued for 40 years. He officiated many tennis events in the Northwest, including sectional tournaments in Sunriver for 20 years, and also umpired at the U.S. Open in the 1990s. After retiring from teaching he supervised student teachers for U of Portland, PSU, and Concordia U. He played tennis for over 65 years.
John was known for his sense of humor, respect for others, music, and tennis. He was most proud of his wife, children, and grandchildren. He loved them dearly.
His positive impact on the lives of so many will be celebrated with song and drink at a traditional Irish wake to be scheduled after the holidays, then John will be laid to rest in Ireland.
In his honor, think of a teacher you had that made a difference in your life, then reach out to them and thank them—he always loved it when a former student would do this.