RICHARD FLENTGE

Cape Girardeau suffered an irreplaceable loss this week with the unexpected death of businessman Richard Flentge. The passing of this good and decent man removes from our midst a solid and well-respected businessman whose General Electric appliance store has been a Cape Girardeau mainstay since its founding by Flentge's father and uncle in 1947.

Always quick with a smile and a friendly word, Richard Flentge's easy manner won him countless friends and customers. In business, he was the old-fashioned, hands-on sort of owner who would personally arrive at your house on Saturday afternoon, after he had closed the store, when a customer experienced a problem with an appliance. He always went the extra mile to help the folks who had traded with him.

Richard Flentge was an athlete all his life. A letterman in high school and college here at Southeast, he coached one year before entering the family business. Generations of area youngsters learned swimming and aquatic safety from him, as he devoted years of volunteer effort to instruction in this lifesaving endeavor. An avid golfer, he was also a devoted fan of Southeast athletics and rarely missed a contest.

Richard was immensely proud of his wife, Mary Sue, and of the three daughters, one son and 10 grandchildren who survive him. To them goes the sympathy of a grateful community enriched by this great and good friend during his all-too-short life.