Literal Legacy
War hero’s $2.25 million bequest honored by adding his name to a Habitat for Humanity neighborhood
Few people, if any, knew that Stephen M. Florentz was “a real American hero, just hiding among us,” his longtime friend Mike Bourland said Thursday at a memorial service — near homebuilding sites — for the late retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class.
Bourland, who knew Florentz for nearly 30 years, said even he didn’t know his friend’s war stories, other than that he served in Vietnam and in Operation Desert Storm. But Bourland knew how excited Florentz, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, was to own his first home, in Oklahoma City.
So he wasn’t surprised at all when the decorated helicopter medic, who died at 74 in December, left his $2.15-million estate to Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, the Christian charity homebuilders’ largest single donation ever.
In his honor, Central Oklahoma Habitat and Honoring America’s Warriors Honor Guard memorialized Florentz Thursday and added his name to Habitat’s latest subdivision, now called Stephen Florentz Legacy Estates, on the west side of Council Road south of Wilshire Boulevard.
The Patriot Guard Riders then escorted Florentz’ ashes to Fort Sill National Cemetery and provided an honor guard at a 2 p.m. interment ceremony.
“He didn’t talk a lot about his time in Vietnam — as a lot of other veterans don’t — but he did tell me the experiences affected him his whole life,” Bourland said at a podium flanked by displays of medals, uniforms, personal items and military documents.
“After his death, and looking through the records, I discovered he was a real American hero, just hiding among us,” he said. “You can look at his citations over there. One of them on the board reads almost like a movie script: a helicopter rescuing an injured soldier in a firefight.”
Bourland, trustee for the Florentz estate, didn’t have to consult records to understand his donation to Central Oklahoma Habitat, which will use it
to build 24 houses.
Bourland, then an insurance agent, sold him his first homeowner’s policy in the late 1980s, after they met during the Oklahoma Bicycle Society’s weekly six-mile Donut Ride. They soon became friends.
“He was very excited that day that he was going to be buying his first home soon,” Bourland recalled. “Stephen loved his home. It was his pride and joy. I think this is because he had grown up in the tenements of Brooklyn and had never known a home of his own, just apartments.
“So this really meant a lot to him. And I believe it is the one biggest reason why he picked Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity to receive his estate: his love of homeownership.”
Florentz joined the Army at the height of the Vietnam War and served as a helicopter medic in 1966-69. Central Oklahoma Habitat said that during his service, he earned a Purple Heart, an Air Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon with three award devices, and the Vietnam Service Medal with a bronze campaign star. He also earned three citations for bravery and valor during Desert Storm.
In Vietnam, “When most people were trying to get their service over with and get out of there, Stephen kept volunteering to go back, and the reason he said he went back was his services were needed,” said retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Rita Aragon, who reviewed Florentz’s military record.
“He was a medic. He helped pick up guys who were shot, wounded, and terribly life-endangered, and his job was to fly into a hot zone and pick them up and take them back to the rear to be able to be treated,” she said.
After Vietnam, Florentz continued his education to become a surgical technician with Veterans Affairs. He worked for VA hospitals in New England, Tennessee, and Arkansas before landing a job in Oklahoma City in 1987.
Florentz re-entered the Army Reserve here. He served in Operation Desert Storm, taking care of injured American soldiers at the army hospital in Saudi Arabia. Florentz retired from the Veterans Administration in 2006, and spent the next decade staying active, running — often early mornings in the median of Northwest Expressway — bicycling and volunteering his time for churches.
“Stephen Florentz’s gift will not only build 24 homes at Legacy Estates, it will forever change the lives of 24 hardworking families,” said Ann Felton Gilliland, CEO and chairman of Central Oklahoma Habitat. “Words cannot express how grateful we are for this tremendous gift.”