When I read of Dr. Flynn's passing I was filled with great sorrow. I first met him 1983 while pursuing my masters in Computer Science at the Brooklyn Poly satellite campus in Elmsford NY. He embellished every topic with his 'quirky' style and I made sure to attend all his courses. I remember one of most interesting topics he taught was on computer hardware, especially the intricacies of the Cray Computer butterfly switches and how they were used to achieve computational speed. After I received my Masters I decided to pursue a Ph.D. (i.e. part time since I was already employed as an aerospace engineer) and Bob agreed to become my mentor/advisor. It was a long journey during which I constantly relied on Bob's advice, especially regarding the professorial 'politics' that were skewed against part time Ph.D. students. In 1993 I successfully defended my dissertation in Brooklyn, knowing that it was Dr. Flynn's guidance, his support and his interaction with the Computer Science faculty on my behalf that made the difference! And Bob always told me that the relationship established between a Ph.D. advisor and his student lasted forever.  He was right....I continued to see him when I came into NYC for conferences. We got together for lunch a few times in Queens and Brooklyn, and when I ended up working in Manhattan, I would occasionally take the subway over to Brooklyn to see him. Of course email and cell phone communication also continued. I was lucky enough to visit Bob in the fall of 2019 right before the COVID pandemic hit and I was looking forward to making another visit this fall. Robert touched my life and changed me. Without him I never would have achieved my Ph.D. He was one of the most interesting people I have ever met and he will be missed! 

Evie and I share your loss of Bob. We remember his soft spoken laid back and smart joking personality. He was a good person and will be missed. 



I am blessed to have so many memories of my Uncle Bob that still make me smile. 

When I think of Uncle Bob, I think of a consummate New Yorker: highly educated, intellectual, curious, in-the-know, outspoken, and, yes, at times, a little crazy (he once hung out his car window honking and shouting, and he schooled me in the need to be a little weird at times in order to get around NY...the weirder you were, people tended to move out of your way). I had the very great pleasure of being "shown" New York by Uncle Bob (even though I was born there myself). While I also toured around with him in many other places including Westchester County (NY), Baltimore, New England, California, Ireland, and he even visited me when I was studying in France, every place and everyone was a counterpoint to New York City and New Yorkers.  He loved travel, food, and cultural immersion. Uncle Bob was so clever. He had a keen eye that noticed everything and what a sense of humor! (I remember him telling me it wasn't enough to hang out at the local pool in California; he had to bring along his Portable Yung to study while sunbathing in order to really fit in.)

My favorite time with Uncle Bob was the week that I got married (1983). There were several graduations also happening, and it was a very festive time. He joined every event with pleasure (and got super sunburned)! But it was also a serious time. I was getting ready to move to New York, and I needed a new job. He counseled me about publishing (my preferred field). He helped me retool my resume. Ever the teacher (and the practicing Californian), we sat in my dad's hot tub at night and he gave tips on job interviewing until we were prunes. Uncle Bob was a big presence in my life. I have no doubt, he's currently hanging with the angels and comparing heaven to New York. I certainly hope he doesn't find it lacking!  God Bless you, Uncle Bob. 

Bob was my close friend and colleague for over 50 years. We met in grad school at Brooklyn Poly, and besides our shared love of math and technology, one of the amazing things I appreciated about Bob was his breadth of knowledge and passion for so many areas outside of technology: the arts, history, language, travel, people… No matter what the topic was, Bob always had something insightful to add to the conversation.

He was also an important friend in developing my career outside the narrow confines of my degree. Whenever I had a major career decision to make, I could call Bob and we would sit down and have a long dinner and talk. He always managed to help me find the right questions to ask myself so I could make the right decisions.

Bob and Judi also got my wife Mary and I to appreciate that a hike is more than a walk in the woods with sneakers. After a “walk” up Mt. Tamany with them, we were hooked, bought good hiking shoes and took up hiking with a passion, and did many more (but not enough) hikes with Bob and Judi.

I will miss Bob’s friendship, intelligence, wit, and warmth dearly.

I was so sorry to hear this sad news. I was lucky enough to be a student of Bob's during his time at Brooklyn Polytech. Such a gifted teacher and not only for technical matters but also for life. I graduated in 1999 and continue to refer to the life lessons I learned from him. Holding you in my heart, Judy.
xoxo, Jackie Dent

Though our lives intersected infrequently, I am thankful for those moments when my life became part of Bob’s life.  One particularly sweet memory is that of Bob taking the better part of a day to show me around New York City, being sure to visit his favorite seashell store, a fantastic book seller, the photo location of a famous LP album cover, and treating me to lunch at a diner where we were served with  legendary New York abruptness.  Bob enjoyed, and made sure I enjoyed, every moment of this simple, memorable day in the city he so loved.  My heart will forever cherish Bob Flynn – a man of delight, a man of nobility, a man of family.

Bob was my younger brother.

An early and fond memory that I have of Bob (that still makes me smile) was when he got in trouble for correcting the nun at school when she spelled sarsaparilla incorrectly (she left the “a” out). 

 I was 12 years  older than Bob, but we wound up in the same profession doing pretty much the same kind of thing — he at Brooklyn Polytech U. and later at New York university and myself at Stanford. I always thought well of him and thought that he was probably the more gifted of the two of us. 

I admired him greatly. I thought that he had  both great ability and made significant contributions in his field and to the world.  He left the world poorer when he passed away.

I will miss him greatly. 
Michael Flynn

Lovely memory of a surprise birthday party with Bob and Judy joining us in Long Island. 

Bob was very much his own person, funny, smart, kind. He was always happy to sit and talk and share a joke.  I couldn't have asked for a better brother-in-law.  

Shana and Cara:  I really admire how you kept up our connections to Bob despite, distance, lockdowns and illnesses. My heart breaks for your loss but I know you will his memory alive.

Love, Aunt Pat (the "other" Pat Flynn :-) )

Sweet dreams Robert until we meet again all my love from Linda XXX      your cousin in case you forgot me. We will meet soon time marches on.

OBITUARY

Dr. Robert J. Flynn

April 14, 1943 – July 24, 2021

R. Stutzmann & Son

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