Harold George Flinn

Harold George Flinn
1932-2015

After years of suffering from many medical ailments, Harold George “Bud” Flinn went to be with the Lord peacefully in the company of family and friends on June 14, 2015 at the age of 82 in Edmond, OK. He was born on Sept. 26, 1932 in Chicago, IL; but was raised by his grandparents in Arizona.
Growing up in Tucson, he rode his horse, Red to school and spent time running amuck in the local landscape. He met his sweetheart Shirley Sue Smith his senior year of high school and later graduated in 1950. Bud and Shirley got married on Nov. 24, 1953.
He studied at BIOLA in Los Angeles for a year before transferring to the University of Arizona where he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in history and anthropology in 1956. Shortly afterwards he was drafted into the Army where he served in intelligence from 1956 to 1958. During his military career he was stationed in Bamberg, Germany and it was during this time that their oldest son, Jeff, was born. After serving and helping to entertain soldiers in Europe, he returned to the States and served in the Army Reserves from 1958 to 1962.
He had many careers during his life and spent many years crisscrossing the Midwestern US while working for National Car Rental. Ultimately the Flinn family settled in Edmond, Oklahoma in 1976 and became founding members of Faith Bible Church.
His passion was for horticulture—which led him to study at OSU Tech and become a horticulturist until he “retired”—though he never really stopped trying to garden. Just a few days ago, he asked Shirley to push him through Lowes in a shopping cart so that he could help pick out this season’s plants.
Bud was beloved for his “gift of gab” and sense of humor. He was ornery and always ready with a smart comeback. He had the gift of storytelling and found a way to relate to most anyone instantly. He loved to travel and missed Arizona and New Mexico until the day he died. He loved his family and put others first whenever he could. He spent many years volunteering for the Awanas program at Faith Bible Church and later as a tutor at the FaithWorks Community Center. He loved to tell stories about his pups: Chipper and Shiba.
He is survived by his wife Shirley, son Jeff and grandson Brian, and son Troy and granddaughters Ashlee and Jessica Flinn. He also has several cousins and a sister, GloriaJean Grevenstuck of Florida.
Memorial Services will be held on Jun. 17, 2015 at 1pm at Faith Bible Church (600 N. Coltrane Rd, Edmond, OK 73034). In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to either Faith Bible Church or FaithWorks of the Inner City (P.O. Box 95106, Oklahoma City, OK 73143).