Walt Flannery
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Walt's obituary
Walt was born in Tacoma, WA July 22, 1937. His parents were both of Irish descent.
He grew up in Tacoma and went to Bellarmine Prep High School.
As a young child he overcame a battle with polio.
His younger brother Michael arrived when he was 7 years old.
Walt lost his father in a tragic accident at the Tacoma waterfront when he was 14.
Walt attended Gonzaga University for one year and then graduated from Seattle U.
He and his first wife had three children.
Despite his difficult childhood Walt was a cheerful, friendly man with a contagious laugh. He never met a stranger.
He collected friends all over the country while working as an educational curriculum salesman. He stayed in contact and nurtured those friendships for decades.
Mary entered his life when they both worked for the same company. After talking on the phone for years they finally met in person, and he convinced her to move across the country to join him in San Francisco.
They married in the spring of 1979.
Story telling came naturally to him and he always had a joke ready to share; most of them were funny.
Walt was an avid fisherman who travelled to Alaska several times to catch salmon. He enjoyed travelling to see friends and family. Mary would often join him on business trips to Hawaii. They loved going to ocean beaches in the Pacific Northwest.
He learned to sail small crafts while living in San Francisco and owned both a sailboat and larger powered boats for most of his adult life. He spent hours out on local rivers and Puget Sound either alone or with family. He was often found sitting at a beach, smoking his pipe while relaxing or reading.
He enjoyed attending and watching baseball and football games as well as boxing matches. Of course, he had to discuss and debate the outcomes of the games with others.
He was a cautious gambler who played live poker at local casinos and competitive backgammon with friends and family.
He is survived by many friends, Mary, his beloved wife of 42 years, and his son Peter, daughter in law Suzanne. His son Matt, his daughter Casey, and son in law Jay.
He leaves behind 6 grandchildren who seemed to be his favorite people. Kyle, Toni, Jessica, Jeremiah, Sarah, and Liam. He also was blessed with three great- grandchildren Sophie, Levi, and the baby Haydn.
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