Mary Sue FLIPPIN

Sue Flippin was born on December 4, 1935, in St. Louis, MO and died on October 31, 2023, at DePaul Hospital. She was predeceased by her husband, Pete Flippin, in 1995, parents, Claude Hester and Ruby Hester, brother Billy, sisters Burlene and Martha, grandson Tyler Klein, and stepdaughter Beverly (Tom) Banks. Sue is survived by her children, Roxie (Doug) Klein, of Wildwood, MO, Terri (Lennie) Clover of St. Louis, MO, and Michael (Barb) Montes of Stamping Ground, KY, and Danny Flippin of Georgia, and grandchildren, Christopher (Vanessa) Perkin, Nichole (John) Dyer, Andrew Klein, Renee (William) Montes, Carmen (Shuman) Johnson, and Jason Clover. She is also survived by 14 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and extended family. Sue was born and raised in Riverview Gardens and attended school there. In junior and senior high school, she was a cheerleader. Had cheerleading been a profession, she likely would have chosen it as a career. She played basketball and volleyball, and her favorite times were with her dad, helping him with whatever he was doing, digging out the dirt-floor basement for their washing machine, or chopping down a tree which was installed as a basketball hoop. He let her drive his truck well before she had her driver’s license. Sue was a worker, and on Mondays she helped her mom with the wash, and on Tuesdays they ironed. Sue and her two sisters were a trio, singing gospel music in church from their teen years and throughout their adult lives, often with her sister Burlene on the piano. Her dad played the mandolin in church services. Riverview Gardens Assembly of God Church was the home church of the Hester family. Sue was a devout Christian, and she served Him in many ways by being active in whatever church she attended, singing, playing piano, ministering to those who were ill or infirm. She read the Bible every day, and in its entirety countless times. She practiced what she preached. Sue worked hard as a single mom to 3 children, often working 2 jobs. She worked at The Girl Scouts, McDonnell Douglas, Noah’s Ark (part-time some nights and weekends), and she retired from Monsanto, where she was a customer service representative. She was always singing and whistling, and a boyfriend of one of her daughters on more than one occasion remarked that, “Sue’s hitting the birdseed again.” She played the piano but didn’t read music. At home she played in fits and starts as she learned new songs. She married Pete in 1970 and after her retirement moved to Flippin, Arkansas from whence Pete hailed. They had a home across the street from Pete’s sister Ola and her family. She loved Pete’s large family and spent many happy times with the Flippins and Huddlestons. The Huddleston men were St. Louis Cardinals fans and would stay with Pete and Sue when coming to St. Louis for Cardinals games. Pete would sit on the front porch, transistor radio by his side, and listen to the Cardinals. He had his clock radio tuned to KMOX so he could listen to the Cardinals before bed. When Sue went to Cardinals games she often brought her baseball glove on the chance a foul ball would come her way. She did catch a ball at the stadium, though it was thrown, not hit, by a player in batting practice during the 1967 World Series. She returned the next day and had the ball autographed by several Cardinals players. She attended Lighthouse Assembly of God and played piano during services. She wrote an opinion column in the Baxter County Bulletin; to my pleasant surprise, she was a good writer and wrote about everyday, small town issues. She liked to fish with Pete, who often worked with his Flippin relatives as a guide on the White River. We are lucky to have Pete’s family’s recipe for hush puppies, which were always served for lunch on the riverbank along with fresh trout. They had two dogs, Muffy and Penny, who were faithful companions and loved being able to roam around on their acreage, and tolerated the squirrels and deer which were fed by Pete. Pete died suddenly in 1995 and she stayed in Flippin for a few years before selling their place and moving back to the St. Louis area. She first lived in the so-called Love Shack (tin roof), two doors down from Roxie, Doug and the boys. She befriended the neighbors, cooked and baked and shared with all. She was especially close to her neighbor and landlord, Lee Schlemper and his mother Leola. Lee helped her fix whatever was broken, worked on her computer and became a great friend. She had a little Maltese dog, Suzie, who was the best dog and companion ever. She began working in her 70s as a caregiver for “elderly” people. She took them to doctor appointments, hair appointments, cooked meals for them, played games with them. She worked for a couple of years with a deaf woman who lived two weeks in St. Louis with one daughter and then two weeks in Chicago with her other daughter. She spent the night there a couple or three nights a week, slept in the room with her, and said Sue would hold Anna’s hands as she fell asleep. She also cared for a former high school classmate. It began as driving for him, going to lunch and to the bank and wherever he needed to go. As his infirmities grew, her role in his life grew, and she would stay at his home throughout the night and cook meals for him, alternating with other caregivers so he had round the clock care. She moved to Gambrill Gardens in Ellisville and was quite popular because she was one of a few who had a vehicle. She drove her friends out to eat or to run errands. She and her friends often played dominoes and cards in their shared dining room. She was very competitive and did not like to lose. Sue was a seamstress, quilter, embroiderer and smocked beautiful dresses for babies and young girls. She bought a complicated, computer driven embroidery machine that she used until she moved in with her daughter Terri and son-in-law, Lennie. She machine embroidered hand towels with flowers and butterflies and shared them as gifts. She spent the last almost 6 years of her life living with Terri and Lennie. She was happy there, had lots of company, grandson Jason next door, neighbors, friends, and relatives stopping by. Terri and Lennie took good care of her. Sue and Lennie watched almost every Cardinals game and lamented the sad season of 2023. Had she been given the chance to speak with Ollie Marmol, he would have gotten quite an earful! Sue was kind, generous, fun, funny, loyal, a good friend and confidant, much loved by all. We are better for having known her. The service will be held on Friday, November 17, 2023 at; Living Word United Methodist Church 17315 Manchester Road Wildwood, MO 63038 Visitation begins at 12:00 p.m. Service begins at 1:00 p.m. Food will be served immediately after the service in the Living Word Fellowship Hall.

Mary Sue FLIPPIN

December 4, 1935 - October 31, 2023