Rev. Dr. William L. Flanagan (“Flan”)

With his wife and daughter at his side,

Bill Flanagan passed peacefully into

the arms of his Lord & Savior on

Saturday May 1st at his Newport

Beach home, following a valiant

fight against cancer. He was

70 years old.

The oldest of three boys,

Flan was born on Nov. 7, 1939 to

Annette and Bradford Flanagan

in Los Angeles, CA. He attended

Los Angeles schools, graduating

from Dorsey High in 1957.

While attending the University of

Redlands, Flan met his future wife Christy Pierce. They

were married July 12, 1963, and were blessed by the birth of

daughter Julie in 1967.

Flan earned a B.A. degree from the University

of Redlands, a Masters in Theology from Princeton

Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate from Fuller

Theological Seminary. From 1964 to 1968, he served as

Youth Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Burbank.

He then moved to the First Presbyterian Church of

Colorado Springs, CO, where he led the Singles Ministry

and started a Divorce RecoveryWorkshop.

In 1981, Flan joined St. Andrew’s Presbyterian

Church in Newport Beach as Minister of Missions and

Singles. The Divorce Recovery Workshops he led for

over 25 years remain an ongoing ministry of St Andrew’s,

having served over 13,000 men, women and children in

Southern California and around the world. Flan was

honored for his work in this field of ministry and was the

author of a “How To” book on divorce recovery.

As Pastor of Missions, Flan led trips that brought

caring support along with the gospel message to people

across the globe. He had a heart in particular for the

people of Israel, Malawi and Kenya.With mission teams

from St Andrew’s, Flan helped build churches in Cabo

San Lucas, Mexico. Flan led numerous groups to the

Holy Land and taught at Bethlehem Bible College and

throughout Kenya.

Locally, Flan supported efforts to create a ministry

of presence in underserved neighborhoods, through

Shalimar Learning Center and with MIKA Christian

Community Development Center in Costa Mesa. His

dedication to Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries

made him a regular fixture at the annual Juvenile Hall

Christmas pageants. Flan helped St Andrew’s forge a close

partnership with Southern California Teen Challenge, a

worldwide Christ-centered recovery program. He was

part of the leadership team that developed “Partners

in Christ,” a discipleship ministry for Teen Challenge

graduates. Flan’s advocacy and support for the ministry of

Teen Challenge continued beyond his 2005 retirement.

from St. Andrew’s. Attending the Teen Challenge 50th

anniversary celebration in 2008 in New York City was a

special highlight for him.

Flan is survived by his wife of almost 47 years, Christy

Pierce Flanagan, and daughter Julie Marie. He was also

the proud “adopted” father of Josephine Macharia Lowe

(Jeff) and “Papa” to their children Joshua and Jonathan.

In addition, Flan is survived by his brothers John and

Robert (Sue); brother-in-law Stephen Pierce (Karen);

cousin Carole Stone Bryant (Tom) and son John; nieces

Stephanie Pierce Flanagan, Amy Pierce and Heather

Flanagan Cross (Cliff); nephew Tom Flanagan, and

grand-nieces and nephews Maddie,Tommy, Leland and

Audrey.

A celebration of Flan’s life will be held at 2 pm on

Thursday, May 20 at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church,

600 St. Andrew’s Road, Newport Beach 92663. In lieu

of flowers, the family requests all memorial gifts be made

to St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, c/o Bill Flanagan

Memorial Fund. Proceeds from this fund will be used

for Missions and for Teen Challenge.

Arrangements through the Omega Society, Santa Ana.