Bebe Ann Flynn

Bebe Ann Mills Flynn passed away quietly in her sleep Dec. 29, 2022, in Dallas, Texas.

Bebe was born Jan. 26, 1921, in Lenoir City. Her parents, Thomas Edwards Mills and Marie Bernardine Drew Mills, moved from Virginia to Lenoir City where he was chief metallurgist for Southern Railway Car Works.

The Mills were some of the few Catholics in Lenoir City, and the priest traveled to say mass once a month in their home. Maintaining her faith was a strong focus of Bebe's life. Bebe was active and outgoing in school and made lifelong friends, whom she liked to visit each summer. She had a subscription to the Lenoir City News for more than 50 years.

After high school graduation, Bebe attended Saint Mary's Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Knoxville, graduating as a registered nurse in October 1943. She worked as a registered nurse through the 1980s, for many years at Madonna Hospital in Denison, Texas.

Bebe married her childhood friend and high school boyfriend, John Franklin Flynn, in Lenoir City on July 16, 1945. He was a radioman in the U.S. Navy and was on leave while transferring from the European front to the Pacific front. Briefly they were stationed in Newport, R.I., where he was being trained to imitate Japanese radio operators. When the war ended, John resumed his career with the Federal Communications Commission in Marietta, Ga. John worked for the FCC for more than 40 years and received numerous commendations. They moved to Denison, Texas, in 1956.

Bebe was actively involved in her children's schools in Denison, Saint Xavier's Academy and Denison High School, and in Saint Patrick's parish in Denison. She was a member of the Altar Society, a volunteer at the local hospital and a member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. In 2013, Bebe was the first recipient from Saint Patrick's of the Bishop's Award for her significant contributions to the parish as a volunteer. She was also named Saint Patrick's Woman of the Year.

Bebe and John loved to travel in retirement, often with a group of other retirees from Denison. After John passed away in 1986, she continued her travel adventures with the group and took several trips with her daughters. She saw most of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, stayed in many national parks and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. She made friends wherever she went and was known for her upbeat attitude toward life. A highlight for her daughters was a trip to London with Bebe for her 80th birthday. Bebe's was a life well-lived and well-loved.

Bebe Flynn is survived by her daughters, Virginia Flynn Hess (Joe) of Los Altos, Calif., and Margaret Flynn Hunt (Douglas); nephew, Stewart Ball (Kim) of Dallas; nieces, Emily Ball of Kula, Hawaii, and Ann Ball Tarpchinoff (Robert) of Holland, Ohio; grandchildren, Mary Hess Eliason (David) of San Diego, Calif., Megan Hunt Carter (Joel) of Charlottesville, Va., and Taylor Hunt (Elizabeth), Casey Hunt (Morgan), Austin Hunt (Chelsea), and Davin Hunt (Anne Lindsey), all of Dallas; and great-nephews, Trevor Ball (Gina) and Anselm Ball (Brooke) of Allen, Texas.

Bebe was especially close to her great-grandchildren, enjoying their birthdays and holiday celebrations, and they adored Nana B. They include Andrew Eliason of San Diego, Calif., and Mary Margaret Carter, Adelaide Carter and Christopher Carter of Charlottesville, Va., and George Hunt, Hailey Hunt, Wilson Hunt, William Hunt, John Hunt, Charles Hunt, Hartley Hunt, Scarlett Hunt, Ashley Hunt, Madison Hunt, Blair Hunt, Jane Hunt and Henry Hunt of Dallas.

Bebe lived a long and joyful life. For the last nine years, she lived at Belmont Village on Turtle Creek in Dallas, where she made many friends among the residents and staff.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; sister; brother-in-law; and grandson, Jonathan Drew Hess.

A memorial mass will be held at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church in Denison, Texas, at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, with a reception afterward in the parish hall. Donations in her memory can be made to Saint Patrick's altar society or to the charity of one's choice.