- Date Of Birth: February 25, 1924
- Date Of Death: June 3, 2015
- State: Louisiana
Robert Flanagan, Jr. was born to Robert and Corinne Flanagan February 25, 1924. His siblings Henry Flanagan and Corrine Flanagan Dorr, as well as his wife, Roslyn, preceded him in death. He leaves nephews Robert & David Dorr and Patrick & Henry Flanagan Jr. On his wife’s side he leaves the following nieces and nephews: Donna K. Smith; John & Mike Sage; Marianne Kiken; Garry Dawdy and Chuck Lindburg.
Robert, or “Bob” as he was called, descended from early, hard working Irish settlers of New Orleans, Louisiana. With a strong work ethic, Bob got his first taste of business with a paper route, which he took very seriously. Realizing that there had to be a better way; he was hired in January 1941 as a clerk by the “General Supply Company” while still a teenager. At the same time, Bob pushed through his High School education, by taking a correspondence course in Engineering. Soon he was working for a trucking line, gaining even more experience; and he did this all while still in High School. Music and the festivities of Mardi Gras never appealed to him; instead, Bob’s idea of fun was taking a dip in Lake Pontchartrain!
Bob eagerly answered the call of duty during the war and enlisted in the Army Air Corp. He ate up pilot training and was ready to graduate just as war came to an end. Though Bob received an honorable discharge as “Flight Engineer”, not completing his pilot training and commitment was always a disappointment to him. Through the years he treasured pictures of buddies and certificates from his enlistment period.
All was not lost however as Bob’s basic military assignment routed him to San Antonio, Texas where he met his sweetheart and life time partner, Roslyn Flores. They were married March 4, 1946 at St.
Gaining a reputation as being a quick learner and hard worker, Bob was hired within the Fishing Empire as “Fish Spotter” from a plane. In no time he became Chief Engineer in this company. From here he made his way into the industrial pump business as well as entrepreneurship ventures. He was starting both partnerships and his own companies. Bob’s magnetic personality led him to some life long friends in the business world. In these early days, starting a business with close friends was sealed with a hand shake. This was never challenged between Bob and his friends.
Bob started Atlantic Gulf Supply Corp in New Orleans in 1958.
Throughout the years his employees and truck inventory grew with the company. Eventually he gained fame as the “Top Salesman” in the pump manufacturing world. His reputation as a fair but strong willed Irishman had paid off.
Bob Flanagan was not only a good businessman, he was also a wonderful husband; uncle; friend; comedian; golfer, good neighbor; and a very strong man. Bob was always ready with a smile and a mighty handshake! He was very proud of his strength and was always ready to take the challenge of hand wrestling. Still, he could be as gentle as a lamb when it came to little children. Bob and Roslyn never had their own children but would adopt all the children in the world if they could.
August 28, 2005 was the beginning of the end for Bob and Roslyn. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, sending them to Houston, Texas for what they thought was a weekend trip. Six months later, they returned home to discover that all they knew was gone. Somehow, their house and neighborhood survived most of the damage. While in Houston, Bob did not and could not skip a beat with work. He proceeded to set up his office in his niece’s house, taking orders, shipping what he could, and paying bills, bills, bills! This period was extremely stressful, but he kept the business going the best he could with a crew of two remaining employees.
When Bob returned to New Orleans, he continued to work from his kitchen as his warehouse was suffering from the eight-foot flood. During the earlier threat of Y2K, Bob had withdrawn a large sum of money from the bank and hidden it under the ‘office fridge”! Now this cash was covered with the worst mud imaginable. With a lot of work, he was able to salvage the cash.
Bob keenly felt the change Katrina had cost his business. Unfortunately, Roslyn felt it with her health, as it rapidly deteriorated upon their return to New Orleans. All of their medical resources had left the city, leaving them at a loss for help. Long time family friend, Jay Higgins, and nephew, Mike Sage, came to the rescue. They relocated the Flanagan’s to the Dallas area to be closer to Mike. Before long Roslyn fell and broke her hip. She had become too weak and was not able to survive complications. Bob lost his partner, Roslyn and lifetime support February 6, 2007.
