Robert E. Flournoy Jr.

News Obituary Article

MARIETTA: Flournoy, 72, served as mayor, Cobb judge

By KAY POWELL

A flamboyant lawyer himself, Judge Robert E. Flournoy Jr. would tolerate a certain amount of legal levity when presiding over a Cobb County Superior Court case.

"He was one step ahead of those lawyers because he'd done it before them," said former Gov. Roy Barnes of Mableton. "The law always breeds, once in a while, a unique character. Bob Flournoy was the greatest of those flamboyant, brilliant lawyers around."

While cross-examining a prostitute in a 1970s murder trial, he asked her, "You don't think I'm very attractive, do you?" said Cobb Superior Court Chief Judge Mary Staley of Marietta. "No, I don't," said the prostitute.

"Then he put a dollar bill on his forehead and said, 'I look better now, don't I?,' " said Judge Staley. "That was Bob Flournoy. He was bold, unexpected and had a dynamic sense of humor."

Judge Flournoy, 72, died Sunday at WellStar Kennestone Hospital of complications following a fall at his Marietta residence. The funeral is 11 a.m. Wednesday at Marietta's First Baptist Church. Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Judge Flournoy served all three branches of government as a member of the state Legislature (1963-1964), mayor of Marietta (1982-1985) and Superior Court judge since 1987. He made history when his son, Robert Flournoy III of Marietta, was named a Superior Court judge in 2000, the first time in the state a father and son were sitting judges on the same Superior Court bench.

"He was an extraordinary intellect and a wonderful problem solver," said senior Cobb Superior Court Judge Conley Ingram of Marietta. "He had the ability to take complicated things and make them understandable to ordinary people. I admired his candor and intellectual honesty."

Judge Flournoy retired and was named a senior judge in 2001. Being available to serve any Superior Court in the state left him more time for his favorite pursuits.

"We went to a lot of movies and would rate them by number," said his wife, Linda Jones Flournoy. "He liked all movies, but I wouldn't go to the violent ones with him. He went to a lot of girl movies with me. He cried in the movies a lot. It was tender."

Judge Flournoy swam twice a day, enjoyed dancing and relaxed sitting on his veranda with a glass of wine listening to music, said his wife. He even served on a jury recently and was interested to learn what transpires in a jury room, she said.

If he was anywhere near a piano, he gravitated to it and started playing. "He was a showman," said Judge Ingram. "He added a lot of merriment and a lot of zest to everything he did."

Survivors include another son, Matthew C. Flournoy of Marietta; two daughters, Gwen Ross of Marietta and Natalie Boss of Greenville, S.C.; a stepdaughter, Shelby Weeks of Marietta; and six grandchildren.

Don Plummer contributed to this article.

© 2003 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution