Dr. Ted Lawrence Flickinger

Dr. Ted Lawrence Flickinger passed away on March 12, 2023, as a result of injuries sustained in a fall. He was a friend to all he met, greeting everyone with his ready smile and a genuine interest in their well-being. Ted was born on June 21, 1927, in Barberton, Ohio. He was a graduate of Case-Western Reserve University and George Washington University Medical School. He completed his Urological training at Kennedy Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis. He married Jean Warren Flickinger, who predeceased him in 2016, with whom he had five children.

In sixty-four years of marriage Jean and Ted lived in Washington, D.C., Seattle, New York City, Memphis, Maryville and one year in Talihina, Oklahoma, where Ted worked at the Choctaw Nation Indian Hospital. He practiced medicine for 34 years and served as the President of the Blount County Medical Society, Chief of Staff at Blount Memorial Hospital and was on the hospital Board of Directors for 18 years. He was a deacon and elder at New Providence Presbyterian Church in Maryville. He was active in the Boy Scouts, the Ground Hog Day book club, the DD (Done Did It) Club, the Alcoa Kiwanis Club, Geneva Fellowship, the Wednesday hiking group and the Civil War round table. He was a lover of music, attending many live concerts and he played harmonica, performing with “Turkeys in the Straw” and the Blount Memorial Hospital harmonica group “Rare Aire”. In earlier years he was an avid hiker and remained a dedicated swimmer until the last week of his life.

He was predeceased by his parents, Fred and Winona Flickinger, his sister Winifred Tucker and his beloved wife, Jean. He is survived by his sister, Donna Swinehart, his son, Ted Flickinger, Jr. (Julie Howard) of Knoxville, daughters Jan Vinci (Mark) of New York City, Jill Coyle of Maryville and Tina Cook of Laguna Beach, California, and son, Jeff Flickinger (Melanie) of Louisville. His grandchildren are Austin Coyle, Cacie Coyle, Ryan Cook, Logan Cook, Kaitlyn Flickinger, Jordan Flickinger, Brandon Cook (Nastasia) and Staci Arbogast (Ryan). His great- grandchildren include Theo Pauley, Quinn Cook, Leona Cook, Norah Cook and Gwen Arbogast. He is also survived by his AFS son, Magne Furuseth of Molde, Norway, his former sons-in-law Robert Cook and Ray Coyle and by his special friend, Marty Callaway, who enriched his final years.

Friends are invited to attend a celebration for Ted’s life at 12:00 on Monday, March 20 at New Providence Presbyterian Church at 703 W. Broadway Avenue in Maryville. The family will receive friends in Westminster Hall after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to New Providence Presbyterian Church or Friends of the Smokies, P. O. Box 1660, Kodak, TN 37764-7660.