Andrew Joseph "Patty" Flood
August 14, 1933 — April 30, 2020
On April 30, 2020, Andrew Joseph “Patty” Flood, 86, went to be with the Lord after a long battle with COPD. A private family visitation will be held Tuesday, May 5 at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Marion, Iowa. Per Andy’s wishes, cremation has taken place. A celebration of life service with funeral mass, military honors and luncheon are planned for this summer.
Andy was born August 14, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest child to Gertrude (Nee Brayne) and Andrew Joseph Flood. In 1957, he married the love of his life, a gal from Ireland, Lee Elizabeth Neary, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, New York.
He is preceded in death by all his siblings, Patricia Klimczynski and Dennis, Thomas and Raymond Flood; and a granddaughter, Kelcey Wilson.
He is survived by his adoring wife of 62 years, Lee; sons, Kevin and Michael (Brandi); daughters, Eileen Yeisley (Kelly) and Kathleen Wilson (Keith); along with nine grandchildren, Ryan Flood, Lacy Flanagan, McKenna and Keenan Flood, Andrew and Conor Yeisley, and Kallie, Kennedy and Kylee Wilson; and two great-grandchildren, Jesse and Jamie Yeisley.
Andy retired in 1998, from Rockwell Collins where he worked for 20 years in the Avionics department as a field service engineer and later as a customer service manager. He was one of the first in the industry to write airline maintenance contracts which provided excellent service to Rockwell Collins customers. Before that position, Andy was a junior mechanic at a startup airline and later a maintenance manager for Seaboard World Airlines (now Fed Ex) leaving Seaboard just a year before they sold their fleet to Flying Tigers and later Fed Ex. He was immensely proud that Seaboard Airlines never had a fatality.
Andy earned his Airframe and Power plant (A&P) license from the Navy where he served during the Korean War as 1st Class Petty Officer on an aircraft carrier. His A&P license gave him his career and livelihood. Andy also earned an Associate Degree from Nassau Community College in Business while working a full time job and raising 3 kids (at the time).
To accept his Rockwell position, Andy had to move his family halfway across the country from New York. Talk about a culture shock, it took the family a few years to get used to the pace of living here in Cedar Rapids. But Andy was adaptable to any cultural setting.
Andy’s travels took him to corners of the world from Hong Kong to South America, Australia to Alaska, Seattle to most European countries. Andy loved airplanes and talking about them to anyone within earshot. His skill for storytelling was evident by the attention given to him by his audience as he loved to share his knowledge about avionics and history and tales of his trips around the world.
Andy had a great sense of humor and was a terrific father, grandfather and patriot. He will be dearly missed by those who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Andy’s memory to either of Andy’s favorite charities; Boys Town or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Andy was born August 14, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest child to Gertrude (Nee Brayne) and Andrew Joseph Flood. In 1957, he married the love of his life, a gal from Ireland, Lee Elizabeth Neary, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, New York.
He is preceded in death by all his siblings, Patricia Klimczynski and Dennis, Thomas and Raymond Flood; and a granddaughter, Kelcey Wilson.
He is survived by his adoring wife of 62 years, Lee; sons, Kevin and Michael (Brandi); daughters, Eileen Yeisley (Kelly) and Kathleen Wilson (Keith); along with nine grandchildren, Ryan Flood, Lacy Flanagan, McKenna and Keenan Flood, Andrew and Conor Yeisley, and Kallie, Kennedy and Kylee Wilson; and two great-grandchildren, Jesse and Jamie Yeisley.
Andy retired in 1998, from Rockwell Collins where he worked for 20 years in the Avionics department as a field service engineer and later as a customer service manager. He was one of the first in the industry to write airline maintenance contracts which provided excellent service to Rockwell Collins customers. Before that position, Andy was a junior mechanic at a startup airline and later a maintenance manager for Seaboard World Airlines (now Fed Ex) leaving Seaboard just a year before they sold their fleet to Flying Tigers and later Fed Ex. He was immensely proud that Seaboard Airlines never had a fatality.
Andy earned his Airframe and Power plant (A&P) license from the Navy where he served during the Korean War as 1st Class Petty Officer on an aircraft carrier. His A&P license gave him his career and livelihood. Andy also earned an Associate Degree from Nassau Community College in Business while working a full time job and raising 3 kids (at the time).
To accept his Rockwell position, Andy had to move his family halfway across the country from New York. Talk about a culture shock, it took the family a few years to get used to the pace of living here in Cedar Rapids. But Andy was adaptable to any cultural setting.
Andy’s travels took him to corners of the world from Hong Kong to South America, Australia to Alaska, Seattle to most European countries. Andy loved airplanes and talking about them to anyone within earshot. His skill for storytelling was evident by the attention given to him by his audience as he loved to share his knowledge about avionics and history and tales of his trips around the world.
Andy had a great sense of humor and was a terrific father, grandfather and patriot. He will be dearly missed by those who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Andy’s memory to either of Andy’s favorite charities; Boys Town or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
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