Background
Born in Rathcormac, County Cork, Ireland to the O'Flynn family, the family immigrated to Canada while he was a child. He had two brothers Patrick and John, and two sisters, Eileen and Mary. Eventually the family dropped the O honorific and became known simply as Flynn. Flynn's older brother Patrick Flynn was a Member of Parliament from 1974 to 1979. His sister Eileen married Eugene Natale and the two of them went into the clothing business. His sister Mary worked for the City of Toronto and is the widow of Ron Ross, a successful high school teacher. His brother John had a career in Leadership Development and Married Joselyn Leise a school techer. Dennis married Margaret (née Courtney) and they had seven children.
He enlisted in the Toronto Scottish Regiment in 1938 and was in the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in World War II. He saw action during the D-Day landings and was wounded twice. He walked with a limp due to these injuries. He attended the University of Toronto in 1947. After graduating, he joined the City of Toronto's clerk's department and rose to the position of protocol officer (public relations director).
In 2003, Flynn's son, Tim, ran unsuccessfully in Ward 25 (Don Valley West) for a seat on Toronto City Council.
Read more about this topic: Dennis Flynn
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