In Remembrance: John Barry Flynn ’59 Died on December 17 2025

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John Barry (Jack) Flynn (born May 18, 1937) died on December 17, 2025. Jack Flynn built grandfather clocks and custom cradles; he fixed machines, appliances, broken doors, and busted stairs; he made futures for his children and remade the world of possibility for kids looking for an education and a fair chance in Lawrence; he wrote history books and solved puzzles; he partnered with Alice in a loving and lasting marriage of 62 years.

On December 17, 2025, at 88, Jack completed his masterwork—a gorgeously constructed, perfectly preserved life of accomplishment and decency, invention and devotion, selflessness and laughter. Rural Connecticut boy; Yalie ’59; engineer; ludophile; golfer and squash devotee. Beloved father to Judy (Dave), Beth (Joe), and Bill; grandfather to Nathan, Abraham, Rowan, and Flynn; brother to Betsy, Peg, Kay, Jimmy, and Jane; cherished uncle to many Flynns and Woods. Author; research and development honcho at Gillette; Air National Guardsman; lover of Irish pubs and music and teller of puns and bad dad jokes.

He went as he’d lived—peacefully, in the company of loved ones, with a twinkle behind his closed eyes, and a sly smile ready to bloom at St. Peter’s gate.

A mass will be held at Saint Joseph's Church in Andover, Massachusetts, on May 16, 2026, at 10 a.m. Burial and luncheon will follow.

—Submitted by the family.