Ronny Flanders

TEXAS -Ronny Howard Flanders was born in St. Albans, Vermont in 1967 to Roy and Theresa Flanders. Ron attended Missisquoi Valley Union Highschool in Swanton, Vermont before entering the Air Force at age 18. Ron studied linguistics while in the Air Force, focusing on the Korean language, having become intrigued with Korean culture through his pursuit of a black belt in Taekwondo. A few years of his young military life were dedicated to a stint at the Pentagon and the pursuit of his master's degree in journalism at the University of Maryland.

Following his tenure in the Air Force and time in Washington DC, Ron spent much of his adult life in the employ of Asian private businesses leveraging his language skills in support of multi-lingual business partnerships. The last decade of his career was spent in the States of Vermont, Michigan and Texas, involved with television programming in the areas of sales and marketing. For most of these years, Ron adopted social media as a means of sharing his life with folks back home. We could all see from afar that he had friends wherever he went. He was a natural leader.

Ron loved any kind of biking, especially mountain biking, spending many hours in bike shops honing his mechanical skills. We could all see him with his bike apron adjusting his brakes and truing his bike wheels. This is an image of Ron most loved by his brother, Kevin.

And Ron was not afraid to voice his opinions, especially in the political realm. A devout liberal, Ron's social media would often expose his wish for justice and equality for all. These memories of Ron are those most fondly remembered by his sister, Tammy. She often recounts how she received by mail from Ron, a copy of The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, clear evidence of his alliance with the feminists his life.

But for all of us, this sudden reality of life without Ron is a sad reminder of the shortness of life. He will be missed by his friends here at home in northern Vermont, in Washing DC, across the United States, and all over the world.

Friends and family are invited to Ronny's Life Celebration to include a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00AM on Saturday, November 11th, 2023, at the Church of the Nativity, 65 Canada Street, Swanton, VT. Interment will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery with military honors.

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