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Michael Flanigan, 66, of Early died Oct. 14, 2025, at his home surrounded by family, friends and with his dog, Midgee, on his lap. He was a devoted husband, dad, grandpa and brother.
A come and go Celebration of Life will be held Friday, Oct. 17, from 5-7 p.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake.
Mike was born Dec. 25, 1958, the son of Jim and Mary (O’Leary) Flanigan. He attended school at Albert City-Truesdale School, graduating in 1977.
On Aug. 31, 1984, Mike was united in marriage to Georgia Zitt at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sioux Rapids. They were blessed with two children, Katie and Abe.
Mike was a lifelong Notre Dame fan. He also loved agriculture, farming and working at Vetter Equipment. A highlight of his job was getting to chat with other local farmers. In his free time, Mike enjoyed golfing, fishing and camping. He loved the thrill of chuckwagon races and figure 8 races. You could often find him working in his “shop.” Family was very important to Mike, especially his two children. They were his pride and joy.
After Mike’s COPD caused his health to decline, he found new hobbies. These included watching FOX news, bird watching and playing Wordle with his siblings. His favorite TV show was Gunsmoke. On Sunday afternoons, you could find Mike booze cruising with his dogs hanging out of the windows. Mike loved politics. If you had any questions about current political events, he was your go to man. Mike will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him, but most of all by his grandsons. He will be remembered for his punctuality which he passed on to his daughter. He always said, "If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late. If you're late, don't bother showing up."
Mike is survived by his wife Georgia Flanigan of Early; children: Katie (Troy) Hoover and son, Logan of Fort Dodge; Abe (Julia) Flanigan and son, Noah of Statesboro, Ga.; siblings: Barb (Dave) Hansen, Peg (Robert) Lenz, Cindy (Dave) Garberding, Colleen (Brian) Schwanz, Malinda (Jim) Stein, Jeff (Melissa) Flanigan, Dan (Amy) Flanigan and Brad (Amie) Flanigan; sister-in-law Jackie (Rod) Hales; numerous nephews, nieces, extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Mary; mother-in-law Hazel Zitt; siblings-in-law, Mike and Tina Roberts; nephews, Tanner Roberts and Keldon Flanigan.
The family would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Pek and his staff at UnityPoint in Sac City, Jenny Condon and staff in Pulmonology at UnityPoint in Fort Dodge, and St. Croix Hospice.
