Edward Flynn

Ed Flynn, legendary Connecticut broadcaster, passed away peacefully at home in Odenton, MD on April 21, 2024 after an extended illness, throughout which he was surrounded by his loving family.

Ed was born on January 11, 1934 and grew up in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens, New York. After a year attending Fordham University, Ed joined the Air Force and in March, 1955, while based at Pepperrell Air Force Base in St. John’s, Newfoundland, he became a staff announcer and then morning man at VOUS, part of the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). This launched Ed’s prolific radio broadcasting career.

Upon separating from the Air Force in 1957, he got a job at VOCM in St. John’s, where he was a disc jockey and nite club M.C. and did play-by-play baseball. From 1958 to 1963, Ed traversed the East Coast, working at radio and TV stations from Berlin, NH to Parkersburg, WV. In 1963, he landed at WAVZ in New Haven, CT. This began his Connecticut career as a well-known DJ, morning man, and Production and Operations Manager. Particular career highlights include his time at WELI in Hamden, CT, where he raised the mid-day program’s ratings by 63% within his first 6 months of hosting, and won the HSUS Award for writing and producing “Man and Other Animals;” his Production Director role at WTIC in Hartford, CT in the early to mid-1980s; and his exceptional performance at WICC in Bridgeport, CT where he became the 4th highest rated morning man in the country in 1986, losing the #3 slot to CT radio legend Bob Steele by only 1%.

Finally, Ed joined the team at WATR 1320AM in Waterbury, CT in 1991, where he hosted the “Talk of the Town” mid-day talk show until his retirement in 2016. “Talk of the Town” became a mainstay of Waterbury region culture, and Ed was known for his fiery style, unwavering opinions, and thorough interviews. Guests often commented on Ed’s preparation; he read every page of every book by every author he had on the show, and as a result, his interviews were fun for guests and illuminating for listeners. He built great relationships with politicians and businesspeople, and truly relished the opportunity to interview his entertainment industry idols and baseball heroes, all of whom became friends and frequent guests on his program. Perhaps Ed’s fondest memories, though, were of the popular Saturday morning jazz program he hosted after he stepped away from “Talk of the Town,” as well as the annual Christmas Eve program and many commercials he did in partnership with his daughter Regan.

A family man at his core, Ed married his devoted wife Frances in 1975 in Connecticut, and they welcomed their daughter Regan Elizabeth in 1986. In 2018, Ed and Fran moved to Odenton to be closer to Regan and husband Rob just before the birth of their first grandson, Ed's namesake, and were thrilled when the family welcomed a second grandson in 2023. Ed spent his final years soaking up time with the boys, who were his pride and joy and hope for the future, and devoting himself to prayer and study of his Roman Catholic faith.

Ed is survived by his wife, Frances (D’Andrea) Flynn, his daughter Regan Vaccarino and her husband Rob, his grandsons Damiano Flynn Vaccarino and Kilian Cayetano Vaccarino, as well as his sister Maureen Macri, his brother-in-law Thomas D’Andrea, his nephew Louis, and his niece Julianne.

A private funeral mass for immediate family and close friends will be held on May 10, 2024 at the chapel at Sacred Heart Church in Bowie, followed by a graveside ceremony and burial at the Sacred Heart cemetery on the hill. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to celebrate Ed’s life and passions may send donations in his honor to the Tunnel to Towers foundation, the Mid-Atlantic German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue group, or the St. Vincent dePaul Mission of Waterbury, CT.