Theodore George Flach

Theodore George Flach

How do you say goodbye to your father, the man who is the foundation of your very being? The man who taught you everything you needed to know to be a happy and self-sufficient person. I don't know that you ever truly can. But then, maybe you don't need to, as he is always in your heart.

Theodore George Flach was born the fourth child to Louis J. and Edna C. Flach in 1932 in Covington, Ky. He died on August 2, 2026 from complications due to a sudden stroke.

As a child he was affectionately known as Teddy and was a typical precocious boy who occupied himself by greasing the tracks of the passing trolley cars and breaking his leg playing baseball.

He started his adulthood as an apprentice bricklayer working for his father and uncles at Flach Brothers masonry business, and took first place in the annual Union bricklaying competition at age 19. Like many men his age, duty called in 1953 and he proudly served his country in Korea and Okinawa. When he came home, he enrolled in college, the first in the family to do so, and earned a Bachelor in Science and then a Masters in Science in graduate school. Marriage came in November 1959 to Rita A. Wurzelbacher and together they raised five children in a happy and loving home. After 30 years, he retired from General Electric, and then the real fun began.

Dad was a curious explorer of life, always testing his limits, and striving to do his best. In his 20's, he wanted to fish and ski, so he built a boat. In his 30's, he wanted to share his love of the great outdoors with his family, so he built us a camper. In his 60's, he took up rock climbing, hiking, and wilderness fishing trips. Each decade brought a new interest and his life was filled with one adventure after another. There was always another mountain to conquer...literally. We loved seeing where he went next. Some of his accomplishments include: rock climbing the Red River Gorge, Longs Peak in Colorado, and the Devil's Tower in Wyoming; mountain climbing- several of the 14ers in Colorado (mountains over 14,000 ft), and Mount Fuji in Japan; hiking- hundreds of miles in the Smokey Mountains, the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska, the Colorado Trail and what Dad considered his finest accomplishment, the Appalachian Trail.

In 1997, Dad decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. So, he diligently trained for a 1/2 a year and at 65 years old, set out. He was dropped off in Georgia at Springer Mountain in January 1998, and 2,298 miles and 14 states later, climbed the final summit, Mount Katahdin, Maine in October. He is officially a '2000 miler', a designation given to those who complete the entire trail. In his application for this designation he writes, "Hiking in January, February, and March in the ice and snow presented some beautiful winter scenes, as well as, wet boots. I passed along the ridge of Burke's Garden on a clear cold morning and was awed by the extent of the valley and the neatness of the farms. While hiking through Virginia and the mid-Atlantic states I was able to hike middle teen mileage day in and day out. However, when I entered Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine my daily mileage was reduced by 1/3 or 1/2. The region is very rugged with many ups and downs. I entered the 100 mile Wilderness with eight days of food, however I covered the distance in seven days. The climb up Mount Katahdin was surprisingly difficult. I made it to the top, back down, completed the trail and I am now a proud, proud hiker!" He often regaled us with stories of the beautiful places he saw, the comradery of his fellow hikers and the kindness of the people who live along the trail and provided food, lodging, and assistance out of the compassion of their hearts.

You'd think he would have settled down after hiking the AT, but that was not the case, he had one more big item to check off his list, climbing Mount Fuji in Japan. He did this at age 73 after taking a year off to recover from triple bypass surgery.

Finally, after all this, he took up the more sedate activity of bridge. He traveled all around the states competing for points and eventually achieved the designation of Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League.

In his lifetime Dad never set still long and eventually made it to every state in the USA, except Hawaii. We did our best to encourage him to sign up for a bridge cruise to Hawaii, but unfortunately, couldn't convince him.

Dad left us with a legacy of love, consideration for others and appreciation for the wonders of life. He was a steady, patient, considerate, and kind man and will be greatly missed. Ted is survived by Rita A. Flach, his children Greg Flach, Joan Goderwis (Larry), Donna Owens, Matthew Flach (Tami), Anita McGlaun (Jeff), as well as, his sixteen grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and his sister Nancy Gallo (Tony). See you on the other side of the lake Grandpa!

A memorial service will be announced later.

COLE FUNERAL HOME 1544 UNIVERSITY PKWY (118 BYPASS) AIKEN, SC 29801 803-648-7175. Please sign the online registry at www.colefuneralhomeinc.net.