Westborough – John Joseph Flynn, formerly of Centerville, passed away Monday, April 9, 2012. He was married 65 years to his high school sweetheart, Ruthe Doherty, whom he married in 1947.
Born August 20, 1924 in Boston, he was the son of the late Cornelius and Winifred Flynn. He grew up in a loving Irish family in Roxbury, along with five brothers, Bartholomew, Thomas, Neil, Nicolas, and Edward, and attended both Mission grammar school and Mission High School, where he was the captain of the football team. Following graduation he enlisted and served with honor in the U.S. Marine Corps and was part of the occupying force in Japan during World War 2. He also served a second time in the Marine Corps during the Korean conflict.
Mr. Flynn was very active in the United Auto Workers all his working life. He started as a union organizer and finished his career as Regional Director for the Northeast, position he held with honor until his retirement.
He was a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee and was elected Connecticut Democrat of the Year for 1989. He received the UAW Walther Reuther Social Justice Award for 2011, one of the highest awards from the UAW
His passions were family, God, country, the UAW, and the Boston Red Sox.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children, John and his wife, Patti, of Kent, Conn.; Denise Rudy and her husband, Tom, of Fairport, N.Y.; Brian and his wife, Carol, of Bradenton, Fla.; and Donna Goodliffe and her husband, George, of Westborough. He also leaves nine grandghildren, Kevin Flynn, Kristan Domanski, Ryan Flynn, Erica Foster, Scott Flynn, Shaun Rudy, Shannon Rudy, Brian Goodliffe, and Brendan Goodliffe, and five great-grandchildren, Mikayla and Juliana Flynn, Sofia Domanski and Caroline, and Matthew Foster.
He will always be remembered for his playful sense of humor, his shining blue eyes, and mischievous Irish smile.
Mr. Flynn's funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, April 13, at 10:30 a.m., in St. Luke the Evangelist Church, 70 West Main St., Westborough. Burial, with military honors, will follow in St. Luke's Cemetery. Calling hours are Thursday, April 12, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Rand-Harper-Pickering Westborough Funeral Home, 62 West Main St.
Memorial donations may be made to the John J. Flynn Memorial Scholarship Fund, attn: Scholarship, c/o Westborough High School, 90 West Main St., Westborough, MA 01581.
For online condolences, visit www.westboroughfuneralhome.com.
