Calvin Flickinger

Calvin Flickinger was always a lucky one. You wouldn’t think that one of eight children raised on a small farm in Pretty Prairie, Kansas during the Great Depression could be considered lucky, but to hear him tell it, he never had an unhappy day in his life. His parents, Amos Flickinger and Ida Graber, were children of Mennonite immigrants from Russia. Their deep faith sustained them and they instilled in him their values of kindness, justice, service, hard work…and yes, competitiveness. He was always up for a challenge and the more physical, the better. His passion for sports, games, puzzles, and winning kept him engaged in life-long growth. He lettered in various sports in high school, built his own unicycle and learned how to ride it, played football and ran track in college, took up bowling and Senior Olympics during retirement, and delighted in winning card games with his family. He earned degrees at Grace Bible Institute in Omaha, NE, Bethel College in North Newton, KS, Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Chicago, and Arizona State University.

While a student at Bethel, he met Sidonnia (Sid) Nickel when the need for a vaccine brought him to the hospital where she was a student nurse. They married in 1953 and felt called to serve as missionaries with the Mennonite Church, which sent them to Costa Rica, Colombia, and the Hopi Mission School in northern Arizona. And if that weren’t enough of a growth opportunity, they had four children during the years they were in service. They sensibly waited to have a fifth until they left mission work and established themselves in Phoenix in 1963. There, after brief stints of substitute teaching and selling Fuller Brush products door to door, Cal secured a job at the El Mirage Elementary School, where he taught until his retirement in 1986. He enjoyed using his Spanish with the many migrant children who attended there as well as coaching various sports.

 With their move to Phoenix, they became members of the newly formed First Mennonite Church and poured themselves into growing and sustaining that community. Calvin served on many committees, taught classes, directed music and led worship. He rarely let his family miss a church event, even if it meant wrenching his kids away from the most dramatic point in a Wonderful World of Disney movie so they could make it to the Sunday evening service on time. As a consolation, once in a great while, he would stop at the Dairy Queen for ice cream on the way home. Cal and Sid were a part of First Mennonite until 1992 when a division over LGBTQ membership led them to seek a more welcoming congregation. It was at that point that they became involved in PFLAG and the Connecting Families group started by Brethren/Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests. Together with other former members of First Mennonite, they started a small house church called the Rapha Fellowship. After several members moved away, they eventually joined the Shadow Rock UCC congregation in Phoenix.

 Cal and Sid moved to the Glencroft retirement community in Glendale, AZ in 1985, soon after their children moved away from Phoenix. Happy to be rid of the care and maintenance of a house, they embraced the community and lifestyle. Cal volunteered many hours and worked as a part time resident manager for Glencroft. He golfed, organized bowling tournaments, and participated in Senior Olympics. During many of the hot summer months and most holidays, they would lock up and travel to visit family and explore other countries in Europe and Central America. Sid died in 2017 and Cal decided to move to Kidron Bethel in North Newton, KS.

Music was always a passion for Cal. He led music in church services and especially enjoyed singing in choirs and quartets. His singing wasn’t always his children’s passion when he sang to get them out of bed in the morning, but he passed that love on to them anyway. He treasured his piano and took it with him from Kansas to Oraibi to Phoenix and back to Kansas.

And yes, Cal was lucky. He routinely entered contests and sweepstakes and frequently won prizes like cameras and furniture. Much to his kids’ dismay, Sid wouldn’t let him keep the motorcycle he won. His family might say he just made light of the bad things. When he and Sid decided they would give up driving and donate their car to charity, another driver plowed into their stopped car, demolishing it and sending them to the hospital. They healed quickly and Cal was delighted that his insurance settlement was much more than the donated value of the car. 

Calvin passed away on February 18, 2025. He outlived all seven siblings but one - a younger brother, Chester. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sidonnia, a daughter-in-law, Colleen, and a granddaughter, Teresa. He is survived by his children, Ronald (Colleen Kliewer), Daniel, John (Douglas Basinger), Susan (Doris Bartel), Lois, and a grandson, Martin Kliewer Flickinger.

A memorial service for Calvin Flickinger will be held on Saturday, March 15 at 11:00 am at the Bethel College Mennonite Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Bethel College, Kansas and to the Associate Mennonite Biblical Seminaries.