Richard Allan Flintrop

1945 - 2023

Richard Allan Flintrop

Dec. 15, 1945 - May 13 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Richard Allan Flintrop, Legislator and Social Justice Advocate, transitioned peacefully at home in Washington, D.C., of congestive heart failure on May 13 2023.

A man who offered his big heart to others succumbed to a physically failing heart. Richard's last moments were just as he desired them to be - with his beloved husband Ben and their two sweet rescue dogs, Amy and Justine, at his side.

He leaves behind Ben Capistrano, his devoted husband of 25 years, his two littles ones, and countless friends, organizations and plants he has nourished through the years.

Richard was born in Milwaukee, WI, on December 15, 1945. Raised in Milwaukee, he then later received undergraduate and graduate degrees from University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and American and George Washington Universities in D.C. He was proud to be a former staffer for Sen. William Proxmire (D-WS) and later as Vice Chair of the Winnebago County Democratic Party. Elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1972 until 1979, where his laser focus centered around children and health and human services, school dropout prevention, and environmental concerns. As the principal sponsor of the historic amended Wisconsin Children's Code, he stood on his feet for eight hours at the assembly floor during the debates, defending the bill and protecting it from onerous amendments. That same day, March 2, 1978, the bill passed with bipartisan support. Richard ran hard but unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives 6th Congressional District in 1982. After moving to Washington, D.C. the name Richard Flintrop quickly became synonymous with community activism. While he worked for the Center for the Study of Social Policy, Richard was a critical part of the core group that spearheaded the development of neighborhood-based child welfare services. Now this community collaboratives continue to thrive in the different DC Wards. He was Policy Director at HFTC Collaborative Council (Healthy Families/Thriving Communities), the umbrella organization that coordinated the activities of the various collaboratives As a child welfare advocate, Richard received acknowledgements for his participation and guidance from the Children's Law Center, DC Fatherhood Program, and the DC Juvenile Justice System.

Intellectual curiosity continued to be his driving force, as he and Ben travelled extensively around the world, sampling new wine productions from known and unknown wine regions, and critiquing divine restaurants they loved to find off-the-beaten path. Upon entering La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (one of his favorite cities), Richard who did not believe in religions, shed tears of joy. He felt the same way walking along the crazy streets of Palermo and the beaches of Cefalu, Sicilian cities he adored. Richard was a gardener with a greener thumb than nature itself and was an accomplished cook. He enjoyed entertaining friends at home with multi course meals and wine pairings, and at well-known restaurants or preferably those yet undiscovered by the restaurant critics. Richard was grateful to be living in DC where cultural activities flourish. He took full advantage of this and had his calendar filled with theater, dance and symphony performances.

Richard spent his last weeks reaching out to former colleagues and friends to tell them how important they have been in his life and to say, "Treasure those you love and value each day."

Per his request, a celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Donations may be made to honor his life to two organizations he gave part of his heart to: Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (Donate Now | Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation - lostdogrescue.org); and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (Donate to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust).