The world lost a wonderful Irish storyteller when Frank Flood, 95, passed away on October 8, 2010 at Hospice Home of Hope. Francis Steven Flood was born on March 3, 1915 to George and Nora Mahoney Flood, the youngest of four children. He grew up on the farmlands surrounding the village of Eden, and lived there his entire life; it was the place on earth he loved the most. Frank attended Fond du Lac Senior High School and dreamed of becoming a history teacher, following in the footsteps of all the other teachers in his family. But WWII took him to Yuma, AZ as an Army Air Corp mechanic. He married the love of his life, Florence O’Brien, daughter of James and Estelle Stack O’Brien, in 1944, and returned to Eden to go into business with his brother, George. Frank was at the helm of Flood Oil Co. until he retired in 1990 at the age of 75. He often said he had the best job in the world because each day he would go out and serve his friends, who just happened to be his customers. Frank thought of the people of Eden and the surrounding area as an extension of his family, and their joys and sorrows were his joys and sorrows. He knew the names and histories of all of his hundreds of customers, as well as their ancestors, their children, and their children’s children. In fact, Frank’s stories often involved the histories of the families of Eden and the surrounding countryside. As a gifted storyteller, Frank could take the most mundane event of everyday life and weave it into a fascinating or funny story, often with a good moral to it. He said he loved people, and he could talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime, about anything (and much to mother’s dismay, oftentimes for hours). Frank had a great sense of humor right up to the end. Frank was involved in his community his whole life. He was a leader of the Boy Scouts, a founder of the Eden Catholic Foresters and the Eden Lions Club, and served on many church committees. He enjoyed golf, fishing, hunting, and being with his family at his cottage on Pickerel Lake. In retirement, he had great fun playing poker and cribbage with his buddies. Frank was a devout Catholic and never missed Mass. In his retirement, he delivered communion at the hospital and nursing homes, and served on the Loaves and Fishes committee. He lived his life with integrity, honesty, and a deep commitment to his Christian values and principles. It was not uncommon for Frank to help a stranger, give money to the poor, extend himself and his resources for a friend, pull people out of the ditch with his truck, or fix somebody’s furnace on a snowy Christmas Eve. Frank and Florence were devoted to each other and to their family. They were blessed to celebrate 53 years together. When Florence was ill during her last five years, Frank was her primary caregiver and was by her side, day and night. Frank was preceded in death by Florence in 1998, two grandsons and one great-grand daughter; his brothers Jim (Helen) and George (Esther), and his sister Mary (John Hayes). He is survived by his nine children: Mary (Wayne Smith) of Hawaii, Mike (Ann) of Sister Bay, Dan (Sally) of Mount Horeb, Alice of Rochester, MN, Ann (Barry Harrow) of Carmel Valley, CA, Bob (Linda) of Eden, Peter of Eden, Tim (Sally) of Elkhart Lake, and Nora (Mark Fermanich) of Evergreen, CO. Frank has 20 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. A mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 16 at Shepherd of the Hills Catholic Church W1562 Hwy B, Eden. Fr. Mike Shea will officiate. Interment will be on Sunday at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Eden. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Twohig Funeral Home, 305 Fond du Lac Ave., Fond du Lac and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to time of mass at the church. Memorials may be sent to: St. Mary’s Springs Academy, Shepherd of the Hills, or Hospice Home of Hope. Online guestbook and condolences at www.twohigfunerals.com The family would like to extend their gratitude to the loving caregivers at Hospice Home of Hope, to the dear sisters of St. Agnes who brought him peace and communion each day, and to his caregiver Lynn while at his home. Dad wanted everyone to know that he had a wonderful life, and that he was ready to go home to God and be with mom again. We thank all of his family and friends who helped make his final years so fulfilling. From dad: “Good night and God Bless”.
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