| Date of Birth | April 7, 1916 |
| Passed Away | March 30, 2012 |
| Place of Residence | Arkport |
| Home State | NY |
| Service Date | April 2, 2012 |
| Service Time | 3 P.M. |
| Service Location | Arkport Presbyterian Church |
| Interment Location | Arkport Heritage Hill Cemetery |
ROBERT CHARLES FLANDERS
ARKPORT-Robert Charles Flanders, 95, passed away Friday evening (March 30, 2012) at his home on East Avenue in Arkport.
Born in Howard on April 7, 1916, he was a son of the late Charles and Helen Mosier Flanders.
A graduate of Hornell High School, Bob was married on Sept. 1, 1938 to the former Marion Brush of Arkport, who predeceased him on Sept. 30, 1991. He was also predeceased by his parents on March 13 and 14, 1989 and his brother, Ted Flanders on Jan. 10, 1997.
He is survived by one sister, Carolyn Flanders Dybvig of Alabaster, AL; one daughter, Louise Flanders of Avoca, one son, Charles Flanders of Arkport; one granddaughter, Jodi Flanders (Patrick) Moughan of Rochester; his dear friend and companion of 20 years, Onalee Faulkner; and several nieces and nephews.
Bob’s lifelong occupation and enjoyment was dairy farming, and in 1940 he began developing his herd of registered Holstein cattle. He had the progressive idea of the day that he could farm without horses, using only tractors. His older farmer friends said it couldn’t be done. In addition to farming, in the late 1950s Bob built and ran a restaurant and dairy bar for several years in Arkport. In the 1960s he also developed the Flanders Trailer Park in Arkport.
Bob was a charter member of the New York Artificial Breeders Cooperative. He was a member of the Three Thousand Pound Club for having one or more cows produce three thousand pounds of butterfat in a single calendar year. He served on the Board of Directors of the Konhokton Milk Producers Association; and was elected to the Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Township Committee, serving several years as Chairman. On Dec. 31, 2011 he received Membership Award recognition for his 65 years of service to the New York Holstein Association of the Allegany-Steuben Holstein Club.
Bob was a member of the Arkport Presbyterian Church for 73 years, serving also as an Elder and Trustee. He was an early member of the Arkport Fire Department and a member of the Arkport Cemetery Association Board. He became a member of the Arkport Exchange Club in 1951, serving as chairman of the annual Farmers Night for 37 years. He was also enrolled in the Book of Golden Deeds of the Arkport Exchange Club on March 28, 1972. Bob enjoyed spending mornings at McDonald’s with the Romeo Club.
Calling hours are from 1-3 p.m. Monday at the Arkport Presbyterian Church where a funeral and committal service will be held following calling hours at 3 p.m. Monday, with the Rev. Steven Jewell officiating. Interment will follow at the Arkport Heritage Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute in his memory to the Arkport Presbyterian Church, 15 Main St., Arkport, N.Y. 14807.
Arrangements are with the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., 285 Main St., Hornell.
Charles and Louise – My thoughts and prayers are with you in the loss of your father. Oh so many years ago I worked on the farm, babysat the two of you, fed calves, watched chickens get their heads cut off and the thing I remember most about your dad, was he loved ice cream and had to have a bowl every night and bought ice cream in 5 gal. containers. He has had a good life.
My prayers are with you Charlie and Jodi.
For 7 years I worked for Bob Flanders starting at the age of 14. After school and on weekends and all day on holidays and summer vacations. Many of those years I helped milk the cows. It usually took about 1-1/2 hrs to do one milking. During that time we were usually no more than 10 ft apart. Bob would milk one line do cows and I the other. During milking time especially Bob would talk about his philosophy of life, how to get the best value for each dollar spent. He seemed to be always teaching as well as setting an excellent example on work ethic.
In one of our conversations, he told me if he were my age (about 20 yrs at the time) he would try to get a job with the telephone, gas or electric company. I took his advice and a few months later I was offered a job with NYSEG. As a result of Bob’s advice I had an excellent career with NYSEG. His lessons on work ethic, honesty, and integrity served me very well in my 37 yrs with NYSEG.
As a result of Bob’s teaching, I have enjoyed a wonderful career and continue to this day to benefit from the lessons he taught.
About 7 yrs ago, I invited Bob to lunch and related to him how much positive influence he had on me during my younger years. He had tears come to his eyes as I told him how much I valued him as a teacher. We continued these enjoyable lunches for about 5 more yrs.
I am in Fla. and will not be able toj attend the service, but I want Charles and Eloise to know my thoughts and prayers are with them and how much their father meant to me and what a positive influence Bob was to me.
I worked for Bob and Charlie on the farm for several years when I was in high school, and always remember Bob as a happy go lucky guy. The farm was a great place to work and Bob was a great guy to work for. Since leaving Arkport many years ago I had not seen Bob for nearly 30 years, but last summer while passing through Arkport I spotted Bob out on his tractor so I stopped to say hello. I was surprised he remembered me and we had a great conversation. I am so glad we had that opportunity. Rest in peace Bob!