Obituary of Stephen Jay Flynn

Stephen Jay Flynn, beloved and vexing husband, father, brother, debate partner, friend, comrade, opposing counsel and sports fan passed away in his sleep on February 20, 2015. Steve will be remembered as a fabulous orator. In addition to giving wonderful speeches and opening and closing statements at trial, he recited passionately and at length from Rumpole of the Bailey, Patrick O'Brien novels, PG Wodehouse, the work of Donald Winnicott, his favorite scripture, sermons, and poetry, and particularly good commentary on baseball, football, the Washington Capitals and the Triple Crown. Flynnie, as he was known to many in the legal community, was a respected trial lawyer and believed juries should not have to listen to anything for longer than seven minutes. This was a strategy to which he attributed many a courtroom victory. Nonetheless, he expected more of those closest to him (and some strangers), particularly the many women in his life. These included his cherished wife, whom he called "perfectly positive Patte," and his daughters Nora, Nell, and Sheila, who he called all the time. The latter are grateful to have been trained as his audience from their births, when he began reading Tolkien and Lewis with a full Oxford accent and a robustly-voiced cast, passing down his lifelong passions for good writing and performance. Steve's knowledge was an encyclopedic bricolage, and he was a graduate of University of Alabama Law School, Spring Hill College, McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, Little Flower grammar school, and the not-particularly-selective continuing education programs of his "google machines." He also completed some graduate work in Psychology at the Harvard Extension School, some amateur training in medical diagnostics from his Merck Manual, and he learned from every single person he encountered, in an indefatigable commitment to oral culture. His talents with voice were not limited to speeches and dramatic readings. He also sang many times a day, whether pieces of the choral music he cherished, hymns, Irish ditties, spirited renditions of the Crimson Tide fight song, or selected yodeling excerpts. He also composed his own music, usually prepared for his friends' voicemail or the entertainment of his grandchildren, who were lights in his world. His best musical works were inspired by the stories he collected from friends (and then modified with good creative license). The operatic "Saga of Tony the Pony" was a particular favorite. Steve was devout about many things, religion so high among them that he was an active member of the Holy Redeemer Episcopal Church in Glen Echo and also a Eucharistic Minister at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown. He was devout about food too, and particularly loved the cuisines of his native Gulf Coast and New Orleans, BLT sandwiches with a strong emphasis on Bacon, and a variety of baked goods. His political commitments were also strong, and he believed in single-payer healthcare as a human right, fair wages, six weeks vacation, open educational access for all, and that his daughters and granddaughters should have equal opportunities as if they had been boys, which was part of his attraction to the Episcopal community. A viewing will be held Thursday, February 26, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Rapp Funeral Home, 933 Gist Avenue, Silver Spring, Md. 20910. His funeral will be at 2pm on Friday, February 27, at Church of the Redeemer, 6201 Dunrobbin Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816, across from Glen Echo Park. All are welcome, as they were in his home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Steve's honor. Some of his favorite charities included the Catholic Worker Dorothy Day House in Washington, Doctors Without Borders, Hope for Burundi, and Catholic Charities. He is survived by very many people who adored him, especially his wife, Patte Flynn, his daughters Nora Flynn Hébert, Nell Quest, and Sheila Rose Patton, his brother Mark Flynn, sister Rosalind Hinton, step-son Rob Healy, sons-in-and-out-of-law Thomas Hébert, Dylan Quest, and Rickie Patton, grandchildren Tristan Hébert, Maureen Hébert, Denis Patton and Mary Kathleen Patton, and many friends, including Roger Eddleman and Lew Morris. He will be remembered every time we laugh, read a good story, hear choral music, watch sports, walk along canals, eat cake, or have interesting conversations with strangers. He is preceded in death by his parents Timothy and Maxine Flynn, his sister Janice and brother Bobby, and many other loved ones. They were saving him a seat at the bar and preparing a feast. For once, he did not arrive late.