Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hundreds bid final goodbye to Wilton Manors mayor
In the end, no one wanted to say goodbye. It wasn’t fair that they had to. Wilton Manors Mayor Justin Flippen was far too young for a final farewell.
But they arrived by the hundreds at The Venue on Wilton Drive to pay their last respects to Flippen, 41, remembered and portrayed as a charismatic fighter for gay rights, inclusive family values and a deep personal faith.
Flippen died suddenly Feb. 25 of a brain aneurysm. There were no warning signs. He was on his way to a City Commission meeting. And he was gone.
That’s not what speakers remembered Friday.
His brother, Gregory Flippen, was stoic as he recited some of the highlights of the mayor’s life.
He was born in Hollywood and attended Broward College, Florida Atlantic University and the University of Florida’s College of Law.
He was committed to his faith and to the rights of the LGBTQ community.
Early in his career of political activism, he pushed the Wilton Manors commission to denounce the military’s policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He was the oldest of five boys, the second to lose his life.
“He was bold and loud but quiet and tender,” recalled colleague Julie Carson, a member of the City Commission. “Public service is the price he paid for living,” she added, echoing a popular adage among those who spend years in the political arena.
Images of Flippen’s childhood, college years and professional career were displayed as each member of the audience lit a candle in Flippen’s memory.
Instead of flowers or gifts, Flippen’s family asked for donations to be made to the Justin Flippen Memorial Fund, at www.our-fund.org/justin_memorial, or to the United Church of Christ Fort Lauderdale, 2501 NE 30th St., Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33306.
“He was bold and loud but quiet and tender.”
Julie Carson, colleague and member of the Wilton Manors City Commission