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William Flachmeyer Obituary – 1/7/2019


William LeRoy Flachmeyer, age 78, of Hutchinson, formerly of Dassel, died Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, at Harmony River Living Center in Hutchinson.

He was born Sept. 20, 1940, in Anaconda, MT, the son of William and Naomi (Guiberson) Flachmeyer.

Bill grew up in the Anaconda area, where he was baptized and later confirmed in the Christian faith. He was presently a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Dassel.

Bill attended school in the Anaconda area, and later took classes at the Hennepin County Technical College in Brooklyn Park.

He was united in marriage to Ava Hawkins Aug. 18, 1972, in Webster, SD. Bill and Ava lived in Litchfield until 1974, when they moved to Dassel. In 2012, Bill and Ava moved to Hutchinson, where they have since resided.

Bill was a hard worker. As a teen, he had been employed as a ranch hand in Montana. When he was older, he worked at the Anaconda Butte Copper Mine. He moved to the East Coast, where he was employed to build nuclear power plants. In Dassel, he worked as a maintenance worker for American Time and Signal and Howard Page. He also worked for Johnson Seed as a night watchman when they were drying corn.

Bill enjoyed fishing, bowling, and playing pinochle and Hand And Foot. He was a gentle man and, in the words of his family, “he would give you his shirt off his back and button it up for you.” Bill had an open heart and never thought twice about helping others.

He loved to spend time with his family for holidays and special events. They recalled that they would pack a picnic basket, load the car with family, and drive with no destination, find a place to have a picnic and have a great family day.

Sunday was a day for family – everyone would come home, play cards, and enjoy time together. Bill was the patriarch of the family, and enjoyed every minute he could spend with his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Ava Flachmeyer of Hutchinson; children, Ava (Vernon) Johnson of Savage, Cynthia (Mark) Anthony of Topsham, ME; David (Michelle) Flachmeyer of Hutchinson, and April (Corey) Meyer of Summerville, SC; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and six sisters, Shirley (John) Norris of Washington, April (Lonny) Sheron of Montana, Mary Ellen (Brian) Mitchell of Idaho, Rita Day of Arizona, Sue (Dan) Grey of Idaho, and Patricia Carlson of Colorado.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William and Naomi Flachmeyer; seven brothers; and one sister.

A memorial service took place Thursday, Jan. 10 at 11 a.m. at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Dassel, with interment of the urn at a later date. There was a time to gather with the family at the church one hour prior to the service.

Arrangements were with the Johnson Funeral Home of Dassel.

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