William R. Flugrath

William Robert Flugrath, a lifelong St. Joseph-area resident and member of Trinity Lutheran Church, died Monday at Lakeland Medical Center of complications from a stroke and heart attack. He was 79. Bill – or ‘Bob’ as others called him – was born July 17, 1929, in St. Joseph, the middle of three children of the late Ralph and Helene Flugrath. As a ‘sand rabbit’ growing up in the Silver Beach neighborhood, his upbringing and the Great Depression shaped his lifelong views on frugality, which he shared liberally. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1947 and although he wasn’t the biggest boy in his class, he played on the football team. Two years ago, he celebrated his 60th class reunion and was the last surviving male classmate of his close friends. After graduation from high school, Bill took a job working on freight ships that traveled the Great Lakes. The Korean War then called him to duty; he served two years in the U.S. Army, including assignments in Japan and Korea. His devotion to his country never wavered throughout his life. Bill worked at Whirlpool Corp. briefly before taking a printing apprenticeship in Kalamazoo. That eventually led him to The Herald-Palladium, where he worked for 28 years in the composing room. He spent the next 10 years at LECO Corp. before retiring at 65. His longtime love – the former Helen Foster – entered his life on a blind date. As she likes to tell the story, it took her two weeks for her co-worker at the LaSalle Drug Store to convince her to go out with him, but she eventually relented. They were married May 25, 1956, and celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2007. Bill was a wonderful father to his daughter, Rose Flugrath, and after she married, enjoyed doting on her many English bulldogs and cat. When he wasn’t working, Bill enjoyed fishing at his lake cabin in Baldwin, tending to a large vegetable garden at his longtime Shoreham Village home, or playing cards with his father and wife’s relatives. Trinity Lutheran was a constant presence in Bill’s life. He was confirmed in the church as a teenager, married there, sent his daughter to school there when Helen was the head school cook, helped paint the church school, and served on the Finance Committee, counting money from the Sunday collections. Before he died, he enjoyed attending Thursday Bible study classes. Besides his wife, Bill is survived by his daughter, Rose Flugrath, and son-in-law, Rick Brundrett, of Columbia, SC; his sister, Eleanor Grimm of St. Joseph; his brother, Dr. James Flugrath, of Johnson City, Tenn., and sister-in-law, Nancy Flugrath; and many nieces and nephews. His family would like to thank the critical care and ICU staff at Lakeland Medical Center for their compassionate care over the past week. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church at 619 Main St., St. Joseph, with burial to follow at Spring Run Cemetery in Scottdale, with military rites. Visitation is scheduled for Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Starks & Menchinger Funeral Home at 2650 Niles Road. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church or the Humane Society.