William George Flower

William George Flower was born on May 4, 1932 to Donald and Esther (Powers) Flower in Yonkers, New York. Bill was part of a family that included the late Betty (and Ray) Barrett, Mabel (and the late Bob) McNamee, Gene (and the late Jane Flower) and the late 1st Lt. Donald “Buddy” Flower, USAF. Having lived on Eastview Ave., the family later moved to Amackassin Terrace where they resided with their maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Hazzard. Bill attended Sacred Heart Grammar School and High School, creating for him a lifelong identity as a Catholic, and a genuine link to the Capuchin Friars who minister at Sacred Heart.

As a boy, Bill discovered a natural talent for building and repairing things. While others escaped their chores and school responsibilities to play ball, he would use every available moment to build something, to take something apart and reassemble it, or to repair whatever he could get his hands on. This interest grew into a lifelong passion that he shared with those he loved and those in need.

Bill was drafted into the United States Army in 1951. He was stationed at Fort Dix, NJ for boot camp, and became part of the 38th Infantry. He was deployed to Korea where he served with honor. His Division was part of “Destination Evil,” Inchon Spring, 1952. Bill rarely spoke in great detail of what he witnessed in the Korean War, though from what he did say, we know of the loneliness of being on a ship and crossing the ocean to the war that was awaiting him and his newly formed Army buddies. We know how bitterly cold it was, and how he was warmed by care packages from home. While He was immensely proud to have earned the CIB (Combat Infantryman Badge), he kept the rigors of combat to himself. He was honorably discharged on September 13, 1954.

Bill married Dorothy “Pat” Brennan on October 22, 1960. Together they welcomed four children into the world: a daughter, Barbara, and sons Bill, Keith, and Gregg. He used his building and reconstruction talents to transform a newly purchased “home-in-need” on Gilbert Place in Yonkers into a thing of beauty. The house grew to be a loving home for his wife and four children, and large enough to ultimately fit three daughters-in-law, one son-in-law, and eleven grandchildren around a dining room table that he built.

For many, “Mr. Flower” was the go-to neighbor for help with anything mechanical. He always had the right tool, and the know-how to get the job done. His truck was often filled with neighborhood kids en route to some great adventure like tobogganing at Dunwoodie Golf Course, camping with the Scouts, or practicing for that season’s sport. Bill and Pat Flower were a team who made everyone welcome in their home, and no one was more welcome than their grandchildren for whom they were, and continue to be, Grammie and Pop! Four granddaughters and seven grandsons brought a new generation of activities, projects and sporting adventures for Pop. Grade school teachers quickly learned of his talents. Christmas found Bill cutting out wooden shapes that would evolve into ornaments for students in Yonkers, Mahopac, Huntington, and Pennsylvania to paint and proudly bring home to parents who will undoubtedly continue to hang those ornaments on their trees until they are returned to the “artists” who painted them, to be cherished for time immemorial.