William "Bill" Thomas Flanigan

William Thomas “Bill” Flanigan, 93, of Indianapolis, passed away at home on Friday, June 17. Born to William and Deborah (Cowan) Flanigan on January 4, 1929, Bill was raised on a ranch in Gilt Edge, Montana, then Lewistown, Mont., with his four siblings, Judith, Willis, Earl, and John.

From serving his country to attending to congregants as a pastor, Bill dedicated his life to the greater good in a variety of professional positions.

Bill graduated from Fergus County High School in Lewistown, Montana in 1947. He joined the U.S. Air Force and served in the Korean War. Following his military service, Bill enrolled at Tri-State College, now known as Trine University, in Angola, Ind., where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering. He attended Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston, Ill. and earned a master’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.

He held professional roles at Boeing in Wichita and Oklahoma City, Essex in Fort Wayne, and Midstates Steel and Wire in Crawfordsville, where he patented his original design for a wire strapping machine. He owned and operated Marshall Hardware and Appliance in Marshall, Ind. With a teaching career that spanned 30 years, he served as the chair of the Heating, Ventilating & Air Conditioning Technology program at Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis and received an emeritus faculty award in 2017.

Ordained in the Methodist Church, Bill served as a pastor for more than 60 years at churches in Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Indiana. He accepted a role as interim pastor at the Coloma Friends Meeting in Coloma outside of Rockville, Ind. in 1975, an appointment that he filled for more than 46 years. The Coloma Friends Meeting congregation was a beloved part of Bill’s life and family, and he continued to lead services there until just a few short weeks before his death.

Leading a life devoted to service, Bill was a former state chaplain in the American Legion and was honored as Outstanding Young Man of Indiana by the Jaycees. He was a member of the Hillsboro Masonic Lodge 385, and he was a past member of the Rotary Club in Fort Wayne and Rockville.

Bill was known and loved for his hospitable nature, his Irish wit, his relentless determination, his dedication to his family and his love for God and his country.

He is survived by his sister Will of Billings, Mont. and brother Earl of Anthony, Kan.; four children, Deborah (Fred) Albert of Bloomington, Ind., Bettejo Colson of Indianapolis, Ind., Sean (Melissa) Flanigan of Lexington, Tenn., and Scarlet (Mark) Fleming of Milan, Tenn.; several grandchildren: Kyla (Trent) Deckard of Bloomington, Ind., Devin Blankenship of Bloomington, Ind., Brantley (Ryan) Popp of Kemmerer, Wyo., Meghan Flanigan of Waltham, Minn., William Brodie (Regan) Flanigan of Jackson, Tenn., Allee Flanigan of Plainfield, Ind., Blake Fleming and Liam Fleming of Milan, Tenn., Zack McCormick of Indianapolis, Ind., Alley McCormick of Cincinnati, Ohio, Erika (Scott) Rudd of Nashville, Ind., and Dustin (Berni) Albert of Cork, Ireland; and his great grandchildren: Madeline Deckard and Annelise Deckard of Bloomington, Ind., Carter Rudd of Nashville, Ind., and Matthew Albert of Cork, Ireland.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Judy and brother John, and his son William Timothy “Tim” Flanigan.

A visitation will be held Thursday, June 23 from 12-1:30 p.m. at Crown Hill Cemetery, 700 W. 38th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, with a funeral service following at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to Coloma Friends Church, 1511 N Midway Road, Rockville, IN 47872.