Jimmy was born on July 5, 1960 at the University of Florida Teaching Hospital in Gainesville to an Army family. He grew up living along the U.S. East Coast and in Germany where he graduated from Stuttgart American High School in 1978. He attended Columbus College and then earned a bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television in 1987 from the University of Central Florida where he met his future wife, Melodye.
Nicknamed “SuperJimmy” because of his love of Superman, his positive attitude, and because he defied the odds of a six-month to a year survival rate from pancreatic cancer. He lived two years and three months post diagnosis. During that time, he underwent treatments locally and he also participated in a clinical trial at Harvard University’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
A true renaissance man, Jimmy was a talented writer, photographer, digital-media designer and teacher. He had a life-long fascination with computers and technology. He owned and directed Aisling Multimedia, and he also had Plant & Main Photography with his wife. He previously was employed by the Walt Disney World Company, and most recently served as a director of web and portal services in the field of education.
Near and dear to him was his beloved UCF where he was a football season ticket holder and followed Knight sports almost religiously. He loved collecting comic books, watching movies, mastering video games, reading science fiction, and eating chocolate, Chick-fil-A and Five Guys. He had an avid interest in Irish history and customs, and cherished local trips to Universal Orlando Resort. He loved traveling to new places in the United States and in Europe, and he was especially fond of Ireland and Denmark. He traveled the United States cross country many times throughout his life.
Jimmy is preceded in death by his father, James Patrick Flanagan Sr., and his mother, Carole Flanagan. He is survived by his loving wife, Melodye, son Jason Flanagan, sister Mary Wiginton (Donny), nephew Chad Wiginton, niece Callie Bullin (Erin) and several beloved great nephews and nieces. He was an honorary father to Kasumi Kato and to her sister, the late Jacosa Kato. He was an inspiration to all, and he will be missed dearly.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a private service will be held for family on March 27 at 2 p.m.
Livestream viewing will be available -- simply copy & paste this into your browser: https://youtu.be/1V9Po8d3tq8
Here is a back-up link if needed: https://youtu.be/hRF8i7pk16o
A public “celebration of life” event in Jimmy’s memory will be held at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to the Jimmy Crabtree Cancer Fund (JCCF), jccancerfund.org (P.O. Box 770446, Winter Garden, FL 34777-0446). This wonderful organization assisted him several times throughout his more than two-year long battle.
The family would like to give a special thanks to his beloved oncologist, Muhammad “Hassan” Imam, M.D., for his wonderful care, guidance and love, and to his amazing healthcare teams at Florida Cancer Specialists, the AdventHealth 10th Floor Oncology Unit, and the AdventHealth Hospice Inpatient Unit, all located in Downtown Orlando.
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