In Memory of Pierce J. Flynn
Pierce
So when my wife Rose and I moved into our town and it was time to take our daughter to the pediatrician, we get to the office and the 2 doctors there are Dr Pierce and Dr Flynn! And I am like, “your kidding me right?” Like I was getting punked or something. I had this image of the 2 doctors, Dr Pierce and Dr Flynn actually being Pierce Flynn and I saw him hovering over my kid, with the stethoscope, a cigarette in his mouth with a dangerously long ash, saying “she’s fine, a little whiskey on the gums!” I thought it was funny, I still think its funny.
Before I get into it, a few acknowledgments,
First, I want to thank Father Panke for making the trip up. He offered to come up without having to be asked and his faith, guidance and kind words have been helpful to Trisha and her family through this difficult time. I know Pierce would be happy about his involvement, he is a guiding light for Pierce as he enters God’s kingdom.
Secondly, I want to thank all of you. Many of you have thanked me for setting up the Pierce page, I have felt a little uncomfortable accepting, because I think it is all of you who should be thanked. I initially set it up because a few people who were far away had asked if they could help, they kind of knew the situation, but when it went live, the response was breathtaking. The show of love and support was touching and heartfelt. It was just right there in front of me, everyday, how many lives Pierce, Tricia and the Flynn family really have touched and what a special community we all grew up in. Whenever a new donation came in, I pictured that person with Pierce. It was healing. Last I looked there were over 8000 visits (though Rose and I might be 1000 of them). Delivering that page to Tricia and Alisa was one of the most moving moments of my life. So thank you all.
I have spoken with a great many of you over the past weeks about Pierce,
when you meet him, how you meet him, what a great guy he was and all, and what kind of stood out was, in a lot of cases, you found him. When all the schools came together in the Jr High, I was no different. His feather light blond hair, infectious smile, distinct laugh and razor sharp wit made him a beacon. I was like a moth to the light .
I didn’t know it at the time but my ho hum days of hanging around the block in Green Acres playing kick the can and stuff like that were coming to an end.
He would show me so many things I had never seen. We spent a lot of time together and he was just so full of adventure. I shared his love of music, rock, more specifically southern rock. Charlie Daniels, Marshal Tucker, ZZ Top, the Allman Brothers were his favorite. We went to concerts, I think the Outlaws were our 1st.
Being friends with Pierce also gave me my visa to Edgewood country, a wonderful place of large, mostly Irish Catholic family who’s homes were open and inviting. With all of the kids and their friends, spanning many grades, moms didn't know who was coming or going. The parents were not people you were just trying to “get past” but who were very much part of the mix. 14 Forest Lane was one of those open and inviting homes. The door literally open. Pierce invited me wherever his family was going, and they took me in as one of their own.
Pierce invited me to go skiing in VT with the family vacation, another 1st for me, it was so much fun. Pierces ability to make the most of a situation and meet and get to know people was amazing. By midweek he had made friends with about 6 other kids our age, they had a party in their condo one night, Pierce was getting along with them like he knew them for years. He would never lose this quality. It was amazing!
The Scarsdale golf club and his love of golf, we would run around that place unchecked, getting lost on the course with a cart for hours on end. He seemed to know everyone and was just as comfortable in the caddy shack as he was in the clubhouse. He introduced me to the transfusion, still a staple in my diet. Everything seemed so easy to him. People, places, he made it look so effortless, and it was to him.
They would invite me to the track. It was not like going to the track with your grandfather in the grandstand, picking your lucky number or horse names. They were handicappers, they were owners and you were in the clubhouse with a sport jacket on. They knew other owners and trainers and jockeys, it was all very exciting. After there would be big family style dinners at Dominick’s.
Pierce would take me to Saratoga, his favorite place on earth, without question. He would roam that place with such comfort and familiarity. He just breathed easier up there. It was like he had been there for generations. The training track in the morning, Siro’s, Caroline Street, dinner at The Wishing Well. How he loved the Wishing Well! A table on the terrace, with the Lenehans and the Santagenlos always within arms length, every time another exiting and interesting guest at the table. He would call the waiter over, it was like he was a Jedi “these aren't the droids you are looking for..” Bring us a bucket of Budweisers and 2 clam chowders” …Waiter: “bring them a bucket of Budweisers and 2 clam chowders” we were like 15 maybe. His ability to get what he wanted was amazing .
High school was Pierces ultimate sand box. He was not your typical doe eyed freshman. He was dialed into that place from the moment he set foot and there was no end to his antics. He knew where to go, where to hang out, how to get out of class and not get in trouble. More people found Pierce and it was all just a lot of fun to be around. He was smart, and when he had to take their tests he effortlessly did well, he had this attitude, like he knew everything he needed to know.
Jr year meant drivers licenses, and he just loved to lift the old mans keys and take his RX7 sport care while he was at work. If you were somewhere and there was something really funny going down, he was in the middle of it all.
Pierce’s basement was like an oasis for listening to records and other illicit activity, sitting on the couch, covered in dog hair from Porsche and Peppermint. There were 2 ways to get there, one was through the front door, you would stop into the study, say hello to Mr. Flynn in his armchair watching the Mets, calling them turkeys, then you would go to the kitchen talk with Mrs. Flynn for a bit, and she would announce to her Prince of Fools that he had a guest, and you went down. The other way was down the steep driveway and through the side door, thats where the crowd would come through when word got around. they were fun times.
After college I would visit Pierce at his work, as a trader at Melhado Flynn, I would walk in, say hello to Mr. Flynn in his corner office and he would spend some time with me, Dave Lenehan would be practicing his golf swing in his office, Pierce would be busting chops with the women in the office, proving that he was the king of saying inappropriate things that seemingly only he could get away with. After he would take me out to meet all of his trader and broker friends. I was with Pierce, so I was alright, and they too took me in with open arms. Large groups, huge dinners where everything was seemingly free, basketball and hockey games…I was sold, if this was work, I was in. Relationships were his game. He was so good at it! Again, he just made everything seem so easy.
When Pierce and Alisa got married I was so happy for them, she is such a great woman. Married at St. Patricks and a fantastic reception. I remember it so well. These were his happiest days, when he was a trader, married to Alisa about to start their family. I would visit their place on Park, near 23rd and you would always get something that made you shake your head and say, “only Pierce”. Like when I went there and he showed my how he was training their cat to be a dog.
He enjoyed spending time Alisa’s sisters in Sea Bright and on my way back from my beach house i would stop by to see Pierce when he was there. We would go to Monmouth for a few races, he would want to stop by the driving range, he would buy a bucket of balls and then just leave, never giving much of an explanation. Later in the afternoon, he would walk out of Alisa’s sisters place with the bucket, grab the welcome matt from the front door, and go to the sea wall, There, he would drop the bucket and casually smash balls with his 7 iron into the ocean, so causal in all. One time he caught the ire of a women who lashed out at his insensitivity to the environment, she was no match for my Jedi friend. He had the club in her hand in no time she was taking shots. “this is fun!” she said..giving her pointers as he opened a beer. He never ceased to amaze me, watching him operate was always an adventure.
Later on, when he was in the hospital, after his operation, it was really touch and go for a bit, I mean, you just didn't know. And so when he came around and was rehabilitating, it was a blessing. We would talk about things, conversations with a little more meaning to them than we usually had over the years. About where he was in life and where he wanted to go from here.
He spoke about his kids, how proud he was of Ali, how smart she was and what schools she had applied to and where she was going to college. How Ryan loved soccer and wanted to be a professional some day. I got to tell him I loved him, you know how us guys don’t say that to one another with much ease.
We spoke about the loss of his parents. Mr Flynn’s health had been in decline, and I think he digested that better, his mother’s loss was a bit tougher on him. A mother and son have a special bond and theirs was especially strong. You know, you learn a lot about a person when the chips are down, when life takes its turns and you lose things. He was not angry, he was not bitter or resentful, he didn't lose his smile, his laugh or sense of humor. He was just a good man, with a great generous heart. That is who God is going to meet, that guy.
I grabbed him 1 day and took him to a bar to watch the Giants game this fall, he loved his Big Blue. we went to this place in Bronxville, we sit at the bar and of course, he knows the guys name. We have a big lunch, did a shot of Jamesons in memory of his father, and by the start of the 3rd qrt he was holding court with bout 5 guys talking Giants, like he has always know them, forgetting about all his ailments. Very Pierce like, center of all the action. I just watch in my usual state of amazement.
When Tricia called me to tell me the news, I was in my local haunt about to order some take out. I didn't process it all, I mean, I was not surprised in a sense, his body had been through a lot of trauma, but I was surprised, because he was Pierce, he always figured it out, he always landed on his feet. So I sat there in a quasi trance, the bartender noticed and unfamiliar expression on my face. I told him of my loss, and without thinking he turns, grabs the Jameson and pours 2. Thats what Piece would have done. It was thoughtful of him to join me. Shortly after, I stood up, went across the street and bought a pack of Marlboro Reds, packed it 3 times, like I had seen him do way too many times, and drained one. Then I nearly hit the deck! man those things are strong! I do not recommend this form of tribute to anyone!
So as I stand here, I am so very sad he is gone, but, you know at the same time, I am so very happy I got to be part of his life. God Speed Pierce.
Thank you all.
Gary Bauersfeld, Friend
New Canaan, CT
Patricia Flynn McNiff, Loving Sister
Mamaroneck, NY
