Bruce Edward Flinchbaugh's Obituary
Bruce Edward Flinchbaugh, 63, of Dallas, died Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 in The Medical Center of Plano from injuries suffered in a fall. Bruce was born Nov. 4, 1952, in Dayton, Ohio, to James and Jean (Turner) Flinchbaugh. He graduated from Otterbein College in 1975 with a degree in Math and earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from The Ohio State University in 1980. He was later named a Distinguished Alumnus of both schools. Bruce worked at Texas Instruments in Dallas from 1982 to 2012, becoming a TI Fellow and director of the Video & Image Processing Laboratory. He led R&D projects for many TI products, including the design of imaging, video and vision algorithms for embedded processors in video surveillance, digital video recorder, digital camera/phone, media player, and automotive vision applications. He was TI’s principal investigator for DARPA Image Understanding Research in the 1990s. He held over 20 patents for TI technology, and published or presented in over 75 technical forums including journals, industry magazines, conferences and universities. Bruce was a wonderful husband, father, brother, friend, and role model. He was a loving and positive life force for his family and so many people. He had a unique, witty sense of humor that spread throughout his family. He was always exercising his creativity with projects; he found so much joy in photography, home improvement, and data analysis, to name a few. Before having kids, he brewed his own beer in a bathtub. He loved cooking burgers/steak on the grill. He made the best waffles. He loved maintaining the purple martin house in the backyard. He loved being a butler during Halloween. He loved playing card games, like O’Heck, with his family. He loved music, wrote hundreds of songs during his youth, and that love for music inspired and uplifted his family. Bruce loved his wife Mary with all his heart. They married on Sept. 29, 1979, sharing 36 years of a fruitful and exemplary marriage. They were a wonderful team and had so many memories and adventures together. He also loved his parents, siblings, and other relatives. Bruce admired the good in everyone. He was an incredibly proud fan of his son and daughter, John and Anne, and supported them every step of the way through both joyous and difficult times. He had an uncanny way of articulating and sharing the accomplishments of others in ways that they wouldn’t even recognize themselves. He shared a love for the game of baseball, the Reds in childhood, and the Rangers in adulthood with his son John. He led an annual Texas Rangers season-ticket draft with friends and colleagues. John so greatly enjoyed going to hundreds of games with him, capped off by watching the Rangers advance to the World Series in 2011. He was always fascinated with the intricacies of the game, the endless hypothetical scenarios you could imagine taking place, and how the rules would impact them. Combining this with John’s love for the game and statistics, it is just one example of countless father-son bonding experiences that will forever be cherished and held dearly close. Baseball has so many intricacies; it is a timeless game. Bruce had a deep appreciation of all kinds of intricacies; his positive impact and example on our lives is timeless. In retirement, Bruce enjoyed exploring the world with his wife, the love of his life, affectionately called MJ, be it a cruise, road trip, flight, or night together on the couch. He became a dedicated runner, training with the Dallas Running Club, logging more than 1,000 miles a year, and shattering his personal record with 1,550 miles in 2015. Bruce completed 5Ks, 10Ks, half-marathons, marathons and ultras. He inspired his son and daughter to take on running as well. He was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Mary Fontana; son and wife, John Flinchbaugh and Jessica Ngo; daughter, Anne Flinchbaugh; sister and husband, Nancy Flinchbaugh and Steve Schlather; brother and wife, Paul and Angela Flinchbaugh; and mother-in-law, Victoria Fontana. Friends may make memorial donations to High-Tech High Heels http://www.hightechhighheels.org. Funeral services will be held Friday, February 5, 2016 at 9:00 AM in The Abbey Chapel at Restland Funeral Home. A Mass will be celebrated in All Saints Catholic Church, 5231 Meadowcreek Drive, Dallas, TX 75248 at 11: 00 AM. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243.
What’s your fondest memory of Bruce?
What’s a lesson you learned from Bruce?
Share a story where Bruce's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Bruce you’ll never forget.
How did Bruce make you smile?