Funeral Mass for Alton L. Flanders will be held Saturday, April 6 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Coupeville, with Rev. John J. O’Leary, SJ, Celebrant. Committal will follow at Sunnyside Cemetery. A reception for family and friends will follow at the church Parish Hall. Rosary services were held Friday at St. Mary’s.

Alton L. Flanders, 81, died April 3, 2002, in Oak Harbor. He was born March 22, 1921, in Bandon, Ore., to Charles and Bertha (Strong) Flanders. He was raised in the town of Bandon. As a young man, Al enjoyed flying model aircraft and racing limited hydroplanes.

Al entered the Army Air Corps during World War II, serving as a private first class. His military career took him to Massachusetts, where he met Eleanore Laubmeier. They were married on Oct. 30, 1943 in Holyoke, Mass.

Mr. Flanders began a career with federal civil service following the war. He worked in electronics repair on military radar at Mare Island, Vallejo, Calif., for many years. In 1968, the Flanders family moved to Oak Harbor. Al spent the last 10 years of his 30-year civil service career at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

Mr. Flanders served as fire chief for San De Fuca Fire Department for nine years and fire commissioner for Island County Fire District No. 2 for 10 years. He was a member of the Washington State Fire Chiefs Association and the Washington State Fire Commissioners Association. For over 20 years, Al and Eleanor were very active in marriage encounter, serving as journey team leaders and coordinators for all programs north of Marysville.

Mr. Flanders was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Coupeville. He was also a member of the Whidbey Island Amateur Radio Club and the American Legion.

Mr. Flanders is survived by four children: Elizabeth E. Bryant of Walnut Creek, Calif.; Alton D. Flanders of Fairfield, Calif.; Eleanore M. Flanders of Bellingham; and William C. Flanders of Marysville; one half-sister, Flossie Mae Nida of Brookings, Ore.; 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Mr. Flanders was preceded in death by his wife Eleanore, in 1998.

Memorials may be made to Friends of Home Health, PO Box 400, Coupeville, WA 98239. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak Harbor.