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January 6, 1913 - September 30, 2006

Engineer’s Expertise Seen from the Air to the Road

Robert M. Flanagan was a multidimensional man who was an outstanding athlete, a nationally recognized engineer and prolific inventor, and a devoted family man who created warm and lasting memories for his wife, his children and his grandchildren.

When he was a young athlete, he attended the Winter Olympic trials for speed skating. He went on to play football at Notre Dame.

As an engineer in his adult life, Mr. Flanagan held 45 patents in a variety of industries, including commercial aircraft equipment, anti-aircraft weapons, highway safety equipment and even in marine rotating beakers.  He won national awards for his engineering feats, many of which broke new ground and are still used today.

And through it all, he found time to spend with his high school sweetheart, Eunice, and their four children, John (Julie) Flanagan, Sharon Cook of Georgia, Richard (Candee) Flanagan of Maryland and the late Mary Flanagan.

Mr. Flanagan, of Lincolnshire, IL died September 30 at the age of 93.

He was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, on January 6, 1913, to a modest family.  Wealthy family friends helped support his college education, which began at the University of Notre Dame, and ended in 1939, at the University of Wisconsin, with a degree in engineering.  He also worked his way through school by playing the saxophone and clarinet in bands.

“He was a remarkable man,” said his widow, Eunice. “He was a gracious and wonderful man, who I was fortunate enough to be married to for 66 years.  Of course, he was lucky to be married to me, too.”

Throughout his long and industrious career, Mr. Flanagan worked at several companies and at one point managed a project staff of about 200 employees.  He worked on diesel engines, air pumps, hydraulic pumps, turbine engines, anti-aircraft weapons and helped create the first autopilot for commercial airlines.  His resume lists Senior Executive positions with Bendix Aviation, Fairchild Engineering, Rotron Manufacturing and Amerace Corporation.

While much of his work was very technical, Mr. Flanagan’s major accomplishment was the development of “snowplowable highway markers”.   His specialty was plastics, and the reflection of light. The highway markers are embedded into highways to mark lanes and endure heavy traffic as well as snow plows.  He also worked extensively on the electrical parts of the Air Force’s B-52 bomber. 

During his career, which took the family to the East Coast and the Midwest, Mr. Flanagan won several national awards for his engineering and inventing, including the National Design Award in 1970. 

Despite his demanding work, Mr. Flanagan always found time for his wife and children.  He would enjoy taking his older son duck hunting, and would enjoy taking his younger son and daughter skiing.  He would arrange fishing trips which his older daughter loved and would arrange outings in his boat where he took his family across the Bay to the beach.  Later in life Mr. Flanagan enjoyed golfing.  He enjoyed his grandchildren in the East and when he moved to the Midwest he was fortunate to spend many afternoons watching his grandchildren play sports.

Along with immediate family, Mr. Flanagan is survived by his brother, David (Laura), grandchildren Christine, Kelly, Kim, Krista, Sean, John and Kate; and great grandchildren Robert, Erica, Vincent and Chloe. ** New Great Grandchild - Anders Koch (2/4/11) child of Krista Koch (nee Cook) and Derek Koch.