Bob Flanders

FLANDERS, BOB, devoted husband, father, friend, and mentor, committed his life to children, their education, and the forming of community around and within them. Founding Director of the Central Florida Preparatory School (formerly known as the Central Florida Community School) in Gotha, FL, and of the Celebration Christian Academy in Celebration, FL, Mr. Flanders dedicated his life to family, his own, and every one with whom he came into contact. It was not just an introduction that occurred when you met Bob Flanders, it was an opportunity to be embraced, included, and involved. He would inherently place a gentle hand on one's back as he bent his tall stature to caringly secure contact with his sparkling blue eyes. Immediately the smile would follow, captivatingly enveloping everyone he met into his world where each and every one was so special. On Thursday, June 27, 2002, Mr. Flanders passed peacefully into the hands of the Lord, after a long and courageous battle against renal cell carcinoma, with his family and close friends around him. He is survived by his loving wife, Rowena, and their five beautiful children, Andrew, 15, Christopher, 15, Julia, 15, Peyton, 12, and Sean 8. This father's farewell is surely much too early in these children's lives; however, Bob certainly gave them his Christian virtue, his moral ethics, and his loving demeanor. He is also survived by his sister, Pat Spillers of Melbourne, FL and his brother, Russ Flanders of Orlando. Russ worked side by side with his brother at CFP. Bob is survived by friends too numerous to name. An exuberant number of children now have a special guardian angel. Bob was born September 2, 1950 to Phyllis and Charles Flanders in Stuttgart, Germany. Both of his parents precede him in death and join him now in spiritual jubilation as they reunite with him in the Kingdom of God. Bob started his educational career in 1974 as a classroom teacher at a small private school specializing in learning disabilities. After several years he realized that teaching was his life's calling and returned to college to add an MBA to his BS in Education. Defining his vision to "reach every child's potential" and focusing on small teacher-to-student ratio, he and his wife started CFP in 1990. The school continues to grow and thrive with students from over 200 families excelling in 10-1 classroom environments. Bob worked hand-in-hand with long-standing CFP staff even in his final days to ensure the prevalence of his school vision and commitment. Bob was a member of the Celebration Community Church. Bob walked firmly in the light of the Lord and asked humbly for guidance in his ventures. Christian faith was the rock from which he harvested his ideas and from which he sowed his projects. It was after experiencing the fellowship of this church family and the need of his community, that Bob and Rowena recently founded the Celebration Christian Academy. Bob earned his Bachelor of Science from The University of Southern Mississippi in 1973 and his MBA from Rollin's College in 1987. With thoughts of all the fabulous accomplishments Bob had yet to achieve, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made either to the newly created CFP Director's Scholarship Fund at P.O. Box 817, Gotha, FL 34734 or to the National Cancer Institute at NCI's Financial Management Branch, Bldg. 31, Room 11A16, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892. Memorial services will be at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Monday, July 1, 2002 at 1PM. The grief for Bob Flanders is huge, but his 8-year-old son put it in perspective when he said, "Maybe God has a bunch of children in heaven who need my dad to start up a school for them." Indeed and Amen! Arrangements by Woodlawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park (407) 293-1361.