Flynn Building Dedicated With Ribbon Cutting
 | Author:
Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Broadwater County Commission Chairman, Darrel Folkvord, praised the Flynn family Monday as he led a ceremony to dedicate the county annex building at 416 Broadway in their honor. The ribbon cutting was attended by several generational descendants of Claude and Marie Flynn. “The Flynns have been faithful servants of this community literally for generations, so we felt it was fitting to dedicate the building to their legacy,” Folkvord said.
Claude and Marie Flynn began farming in Poverty Flats, near Toston, in 1890. He served on the Toston School Board and was an election judge. Since then, Flynn families have continued to farm much of the same ground, including Warren Flynn and Joel Flynn.
Teresa Flynn Artz, a second-generation daughter, related that she and her brothers and sister were expected to volunteer in the community. “We joined 4-H and my parents were leaders. We joined Girl Scouts, they were leaders. Frank and Rose were leaders in Farm Bureau, the Republican Party, and the Broadwater Historical Society. I think they would be very proud of the second and third generations of Flynns who volunteer in this community,” she said.
Teresa pointed out the Flynns were not the only family who have dedicated generations of people who have built this community as volunteers. “Besides our family, the Berberets, Rausers, Shearers, Christies, Hahns, Plymales, Ragens, Markses and Kirschers, among many others, have stayed in the community to help it be a solid and welcoming place to put down roots,” she said. “We are honored to be the family whose name is on the county building.”
Jill Flynn, wife of the late Kelly Flynn, related how important this community was to him. “Kelly knew the importance of getting the voice of the community out. He ran and served as a legislator for two terms where he wrote several bills which impacted the county,” she said. Kelly also preserved Broadwater County’s mining past in his book ‘Goldpans, Guns and Grit,’ a history of Confederate Gulch.
Each branch of the family talked about service. Warren spoke of his parents, Bill and Lorena, organizers of Bible Camp, a gathering and fundraiser for the Flynn High School Scholarship. They cooked their way through many years and events in Broadwater County, he said. He also related several of his uncle John Flynn’s jokes and sayings. John Flynn served as Broadwater County attorney for 34 consecutive years until his death in 2012. He was first elected at age 25, reportedly the youngest county attorney in state history.
Our current municipal judge, Kurt Flynn, admitted certain members of the Flynn family were “a bit stubborn” but he said they tried to follow morally right paths to protect the community and the land for the next generation.
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks
Image 1 Caption: Commissioner Chairman Darrel Folkvord reading the dedication of the county building, newly named The Flynn Building at 416 Broadway.
Left to right: Folkvord, Keira Christensen, mom Julie Christensen,Teresa Artz, Jill Flynn, Gary Flynn, Peggy Flynn, Warren Flynn, daughter Cassidy Flynn, Kurt Flynn and Allison Kosto. Photo: Nancy Marks.
Image 2 Caption: Kiera Christensen completes the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Flynn building Dedication Monday. Behind her is sister Grace, mom Julie, great aunt Teresa Artz and great uncle Gary Flynn. Photo: Nancy Marks.
