Thomas L. Flynn

Thomas L. Flynn, an infinitely devoted husband and father whose bottomless kindness endeared him to everyone he met, died Feb. 18 in Braselton, Ga. He was a week shy of 67.

Tom, as his friends knew him, spent over four decades in commercial banking and finance and, with unrelenting work ethic, built a life teeming with opportunity and comfort for his family in suburban Chicago. He climbed from humble beginnings in small-town Kansas to end his career as a senior vice president at Bank of America and Merrill Lynch in Atlanta, just on the brink of retirement.

Tom often said he felt blessed with good health. His unexpected death – at Northeast Georgia Medical Center after an aortic aneurism – stunned those close to him. He is survived by his wife, Betty; his son, Brenan; his daughter, Meagan, and son-in-law, Avi Selk; and his brother, Daniel.

Thomas Leonard Flynn was born in Great Bend, Kan., on Feb. 25, 1958, and was raised in Russell, the youngest of three sons of Kenneth, who worked in oil field supply and maintenance, and Willene Flynn, a music teacher. Tom was a gifted trumpet player, often traveling with Willene to competitions across the state and composing his own music.

He graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration in 1980 – remaining a rabid lifelong Jayhawks fan – and later went on to receive his master’s in finance from Dominican University in 1993.

Tom began his career at small banks all over the Midwest, from Oklahoma City to Rapid City, S.D., before ending up in suburban Chicago, where he fell in love with Betty, a magnetic, fun-loving woman with a fast-talking city accent to complement his Kansas twang. He proposed after just nine months, and they married in 1991, the start of over three decades of marriage in which Tom never let up on flowers and romance. Sharing the same values of faith and family, they raised two kids in Hanover Park, Ill., before moving in 2000 to Algonquin.

Tom found joy in life’s simplest pleasures: a stack of pancakes at a diner after church on Sundays. An iced tea on the porch, watching a storm roll in. A football game and a bowl of popcorn, or a Christmas movie beside a roaring fireplace on a snowy night. Hearing the wind whistle through the tree canopy on an evening walk.

He was the archetype of a family man. He was always in the stands rooting for his kids, usually with a video camera. He was the king of the family road trip, sharing his love of the great outdoors on summer vacations from the Smoky Mountains to the Black Hills. He taught Brenan the trumpet and Meagan the piano, took Brenan on Boy Scout campouts and Meagan to basketball tournaments, pouring his enthusiasm and support into whichever hobbies or passions they pursued.

At his core was his deep faith. He found peace in prayer and sanctuary at weekly Mass, a lifelong student of the Bible who molded his life around its teachings. He sought to live with humility and with compassion, and despite his demanding career and devotion to his family, never failed to make time to serve his church and community. 

He was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus and United Way, at one time the president of one of its local chapters in the Chicago area. And at church — for many years St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Huntley, Ill. —he served as a lecter and regularly volunteered, whether for Christmas tree drives or staffing the soup kitchen.

His family and friends will remember him most for his beaming generosity of spirit, infectious optimism and unwavering commitment to his values.

Visitation will be held Sunday, Feb. 23 at Flanigan Funeral Home in Buford, Ga., from 4 to 8 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held Monday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch, with a burial service at Broadlawn Memorial Gardens and luncheon at Prince of Peace immediately following. A livestream of the funeral Mass will be available at https://popfb.org/livestream/.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association or the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

To express condolences, please sign our online guest book at www.flaniganfuneralhome.com.  Arrangements By: Junior E. Flanigan of Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford, GA (770) 932-1133.