Gary D. Flanders

Bristow — Gary Donavon Flanders, 80, of Bristow, died Monday, Nov. 10, 2025 at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in West Point.

Visitation was held Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 at Biglin's Mortuary in Spencer with a prayer service.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bristow. Rev. Grant Graff officiated.

Burial was in the National Cemetery west of Spencer with military rites provided by the Bristow American Legion Nelson Post 76.

Memorials may be made to the family for future designation.

Gary was born on Feb. 19, 1945 in Sioux City, Iowa to Donavon and Ruby (Calhoon) Flanders. The second of four children Bonnie, Gary, Karen and Judy. Gary spent the first year of his life near Laurel where his parents worked on a farm. His family then moved to Knox County to a farm/ranch a few miles northwest of Verdel, almost on the banks of the Missouri River. Gary attended school with his sisters at School District 97, which was one of the proverbial “one room country schools” with the kids of two other families, until it closed after he completed the seventh grade. Gary then attended Lynch Public School and graduated in 1963. 

After high school he worked for Wally Leujo Custom Combining of Holstein for two summers, then attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln from fall of 1964 until he enlisted in the U. S. Army in July of 1965. He was stationed at various assignments in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Virginia and Texas as well as an 18-month tour in Korea and multiple three-year tours in Germany. His primary duties during these assignments included Nike Hercules Nuclear Missile Crewman; Chemical and Biological Welfare Specialist, Administrative NCO and Senior Legal NCO (Paralegal) until he retired from the Army at the rank of Master Sergeant in September of 1989.  

While stationed in Germany in 1970, he met and married Renate Bruch. To this union two children were born Tanja Ann in 1971 and Yvonne Ruby in 1979. They were divorced in 1994.  

After retiring in Bellevue Gary worked as a paralegal for the law firm of McGinn and Jennings in Council Bluffs, Iowa, from September of 1989 until August of 1994 when he moved to Bristow.  

He married Janice (Prokop) Hrbek in May 1995. Gary worked at the Fort Randall Casino as a maintenance person and cash receipts auditor from September of 1994 until December of 1995 when he started working at the Nebraska State Bank in Bristow. He worked there until his retirement in 2015.

During this period in Bristow, Gary was an active member of the Trinity Lutheran Church Council as well as a member and chairman of the Bristow Town Board, was a member and Chief of the Bristow Volunteer Fire Department for many years and was an active member of the Bristow American Legion.

Gary and Jan enjoyed spending time at their cabin on the Missouri River at Sunshine Bottom and raising and harvesting a large garden every year.

Gary is survived by his wife Jan Flanders of Bristow; his six children Tanja Mitchell and Yvonne Flanders, both of Bellevue, Doug (Ann) Hrbek of West Point, Brenda Hrbek of Sioux Falls, SD, Stephanie (Chris) Mandel of West Point and Jason (Christina) Hrbek of Rapid City, SD; 17 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; three sisters Bonnie (John) O'Dell of Springfield, MO, Karen (John) Scharff and Judy (Doran) Burmood, all of Shelton; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, both grandparents and many aunts, uncles and cousins.