William Flanagan, Jr.

I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. for I shall not pass this way again. ~The Road of Life William peacefully passed early Saturday morning, April 5, 2014 in Ocean Grove. William had a free sprit and spent his 20s hitchhiking around the United States with my mom, making new friends, who introduced him to yoga, vegetarianism and a love of the earth. Bill was a true-blue, loyal friend; someone you could always count on and he always kept his word. Bill was an avid lover of the Tar Heels basketball team as he lived in North Carolina from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. He enjoyed the natural beauty of North Carolina and also the southern warmth and hospitality. My dad instilled in me a sense of magic, wonder and adventure during my childhood summer visits in North Carolina. William was pre-deceased by his parents, William and Mary Flanagan. William will be missed by his beloved daughter, Lilly and her mother, Lynda; his two sisters, Elizabeth Clark of Ocean Grove, Mary and her husband Anthony Boyle of Potsdam, NY; his niece, three nephews and their families as well as by his long-time companion, Marie DeCarlo of Freehold. The faculty, staff, students and parents at the Ranney School, where he greeted the students at the start of every school day for over the past 15 years, also will miss him. They affectionately referred to my dad as "Mr. Bill." Funeral arrangements are private. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Williams name to: www.NARF.org or www.earthjustice.org