Flanagan, William G.

William G. Flanagan, 69, died suddenly on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, after a brief illness. A gathering time for family and friends will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, Iowa City. Funeral services and burial will take place Monday, Nov. 28, in Stamford, Conn.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Bill's memory.

Online condolences can be sent through the web at .

He is survived by his two children, Tim Flanagan of Iowa City, and Sheila Flanagan and her spouse, Lorraine Lambiase of Warrensburg, N.Y. He is also survived by his brother, Tom Flanagan of Norwalk, Conn.; sister, Dorothy Pastore of Stamford, Conn.; and niece Lyn Chatham of Newtown, Connecticut.

Bill came from modest beginnings and worked his way through college and graduate school, graduating with a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut in 1976. He began his academic teaching career at the University College Cork in Ireland in 1976. He later settled in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1978 taking a faculty position in the Department of Sociology at Coe College.

Bill retired from Coe College in 2009, after serving for over 30 years in a variety of positions including chairman of the Department of Sociology and associate dean of the College. Bill was an accomplished author, publishing several books over the years including Urbanization and Social Change in West Africa, Urban Sociology: Images & Structure, Contemporary Urban Sociology, and Ireland Now: Tales of Change from the Global Island.

Bill was a bright and compassionate individual with a wide variety of talents and interests including drawing, music and the constant study of his fellow humans. He will be greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues alike.

Published in The Gazette Nov. 22, 2011.