Larry J. Flanagan

Larry Joseph Flanagan passed away on April 15, 2020 after battling Alzheimer’s Disease, always keeping his sense of humor.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 10:30 AM at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Belmond, with Father Jerry Blake officiating. Burial will be held at the Belmond Cemetery in Belmond.

In lieu of flowers, Larry’s family requests that memorials be made to St. Francis Xavier Church in Belmond or the Alzheimers Association Greater Iowa Chapter.

Larry was born April 10, 1939 to Alice E. (Buterbaugh) and Neil V. Flanagan in Buffalo Center, Iowa. He was the eldest of four children. Larry was raised in Belmond, Iowa, a community he dearly loved. Larry was very active in Boy Scouts of America, eventually receiving the Eagle Scout rank. He graduated from Belmond High School in 1957 and Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) in 1961. Larry was a lifelong learner, always advancing his professional development.

Larry managed the Luick Memorial Pool over high school summers, where he met his beautiful wife-to-be, Nancy Gabrielson. They married in April 1960 and would have celebrated 60 years of marriage the day following his death.

After graduating from Iowa State, he joined Montgomery Ward’s selective management trainee program and managed stores in Marshalltown, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Hastings, Nebraska, until his father’s sudden death in 1964. Larry, Nancy and their young family then returned to Belmond to continue to run the family business, Flanagan Agency, alongside his mother Alice. He eventually grew the business to offer financial securities, a complex business that he made simple to his many clients.

Larry was very passionate about volunteering in his community. He was a founder of the Belmond Industrial Development Corporation (BIDCO) in 1965 and served as volunteer president for over 30 years. In 1997, he was awarded the first lifetime membership to BIDCO and was honored as its Citizen of the Year. He was instrumental in numerous marquee economic development projects, namely securing the decision in 1980 by global manufacturer Eaton Corporation to locate its major new North American plant in Belmond. Another of Larry’s favorite projects was leading the team effort to rebuild the Belmond Lyric Movie Theater for generations to enjoy. Larry was an active member of the Belmond Jaycees and Knights of Columbus, handing out thousands of Tootsie Rolls and receiving numerous volunteer awards over his years of service.

After the massive EF5 tornado that tore through the business center of Belmond in October 1966, leaving devastation everywhere in its wake, Larry along with fellow business owners and community members worked tirelessly for months on end to rebuild. Their efforts garnered state and federal financial grants and recognition resulting in the rebirth of Belmond’s central business district.

Larry and Nancy moved to Harlan, Iowa in 1997, where Larry became Economic Development Director for the Harlan Chamber of Commerce. There he formed Shelby County DevelopSource, serving as Executive Director until 2005. He was awarded the Governor’s Volunteer Award in 2001 by then Governor Tom Vilsack, and in 2004, Larry was honored as the Small Business Administration’s Advocate Champion of the Year for the State of Iowa.

In 2005, Larry and Nancy relocated to Grimes, Iowa, to be closer to his children and grandchildren. In semi-retirement, Larry continued to share his talents at American Republic Insurance Company and Krist Insurance Services in the Des Moines area.

He was a past member and/or board member of the Belmond and Harlan Knights of Columbus chapters, the National Association of Realtors, the Iowa Association of Realtors, the Wright/Hamilton Board of Realtors, the Independent Insurance Agents Association of Iowa, the Southwest Iowa Coalition, and the Professional Developers of Iowa.

Larry was a proud Irish Catholic family man. He and wife Nancy were faithful members of St. Francis Xavier Church in Belmond, St. Michael’s Church in Harlan, and St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines. Larry was a wonderful public speaker and he enjoyed serving as mass lector in all three parishes.

Larry and Nancy enjoyed traveling to visit family and friends. One of Larry’s hobbies was reading the Des Moines Register FRONT TO BACK. Others included taking family fishing trips; stamp/coin collecting; cheering on his much-loved Iowa State Cyclones, and even growing to love the Iowa Hawkeyes; competitively playing Michigan Rummy, 500, Farkel and Spoons with family and friends; and attending countless grandkids’ activities.

Larry is survived by his best friend, his beautiful, loving, caring wife Nancy, married just one day short of 60 years. The most important thing to Larry was his large, loving family, including five children, 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild. He also is survived by Dawn (Al) Pieper of Ankeny and children Leah and Ben; Mike (Marci) Flanagan of Marion and children Shawn, Steven and great grandson Patrick; Susie Flanagan Houser of West Des Moines, and children Charlie and Clare; Lisa (Mike) Dammen of West Des Moines and children Hannah and Izzy; and Linda (Pat) Boivin of Geneva, Illinois and children Brendan and Gabe; brothers Alan (Colleen) of Cedar Rapids, and Robert (Janis) of Waterloo, his Aunt Lina Buterbaugh, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Janis and his beloved grandson Scott Flanagan.