James Norman Flynn, formerly of Sag Harbor, died June 18 in Ft. Myers, Florida, at the home of his brother, Pat Flynn, and surrounded by his nieces and nephew. He was 92 and known to family and friends as “Jim.”
Mr. Flynn was born February 27, 1924, in Dublin, Ireland, to James and Isabella Flynn, and brought up in the Roman Catholic faith. He and his parents and older brother, George, came to the United States when Mr. Flynn was 10 years old.
A World War II veteran, he was a captain serving in the United States Merchant Marines. Two of the ships he served on were torpedoed by German U boats in the North Atlantic. He was taken prisoner on one such occasion but released into a neutral country after a two-week confinement. Later in the war his ship hit a mine off the coast of Yugoslavia. He was found caked in ice and presumed to be dead and spent the next 18 months recovering from tuberculosis in two Veteran Administration hospitals.
When he retired from sea duty, he opened Captain Biru’s Nautical Antiques with locations in Manhattan and Sag Harbor, at 51 Madison Street. He was well-known in the 1960s and 1970s in Sag Harbor Village.
Mr. Flynn was a companion for many years to Sylvia Bell Pennebaker. They both cherished their cocker spaniel, Little Girl, whose headstone resides in Sag Harbor. He always had time to take Ms. Pennebaker’s daughter, Stacy, out to tea and scones. Stacy remembers the wonderful English antiques that Mr. Flynn frequently presented her. His generosity extended another generation to Stacy’s daughter, Molly.
Mr. Flynn is survived by a brother, Patrick Flynn of Florida; a nephew, Stephen Flynn of Tennessee; and three nieces, Adrienne Gettman of Florida, Keli Davidson and husband Charles of Texas, and Patricia Robinson and husband Carl of Texas.
A military burial and service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
on Aug 29, 2016