William L. Flournoy Jr.'s Obituary
Our hearts were forever broken on the morning of April 6th as we unexpectedly lost our dear Bill. He was born to parents Lionel and Zemma S. Flournoy of Tallahassee, Florida; the 7th child of a large eight child family.
Bill was a star athlete early in life with offers from several basketball programs until a terrible injury ended those dreams. He went on to join the United States Air Force where he invented a highly technical calibration tool that he and the United States Air Force share the patent on to this day. Bill toured the country promoting the tool and ultimately left the Air Force with an offer from the Honeywell Corporation that he could not refuse. Finally, after deciding to bring his family home, he went to work for the state of Florida where he worked for nearly 30 years and had planned to retire in October.
Bill loved to travel with his wife Lisa. Together they enjoyed 11 cruises and countless trips throughout this country. Next year, they had planned to start seeing the rest of the world. Bill had a quick mind and an even quicker wit. He always had an easy smile and wanted to help all those around him. His interests were wide and varied as he loved staying tuned in to what was happening around the world. He was particularly interested in military operations and said recently that if he had it to do over again, he would have stayed in the military much longer.
Bill loved horses and competed in the western events during his youth. The family competed all over the southeast in the Dixie Horse Frolics Association and the American Quarter Horse Circuit shows. He was a long-time member of the Leon County Horseman’s Association and taught his children all the ropes then helped them compete as well.
Bill is survived by his wife Lisa Brattain, son William “Trey” L. Flournoy, III (Cristina and grandsons Wyatt and Ethan), and daughters Priscilla, Miranda (Josh Innes and grandchildren Mallory and Dean), Lindsay, and stepdaughter Lela Whitfield (Lauren, Madison, and Connor). He is also, survived by his siblings Carol (Sam Booth), Jan Hostetter, Ken Sarvis (Christine), Bobby Sarvis (Sharon), Sandra Walko (George), Patricia Kimberly (Cecil) and Sharon Horne. He has 14 nieces and nephews, as well as 28 (and counting) great nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held on Sunday, May 19th at Wakulla River Park, in St. Marks, Florida from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. We hope you will join us that day.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of Bill’s favorite things: Return to Freedom - Wild Horse Conservation – they work to save America’s wild horses and burros, http://returntofreedom.org or (805) 737-9246. And he was very concerned about Ukraine and their people. You can donate to one of the verified charities listed on this government website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/Intercountry-Adoption-News/ukraine---fact-sheet--how-you-can-help.html
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