John Martin Flor

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The American Cancer Society 1816 Boonslick, St. Charles, Mo. or any Baue Funeral Home location. John Martin Flor was born 10 May 1917 on Staten Island, New York. He was the son of Fred Flor and Lillian Hagner. He graduated from Tottenville High School on Staten Island in 1935. He married Mildred Amodeo of Staten Island in 1947, and together they had three children. He joined the New York National Guard in 1935 and later the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving with the 102nd Observation Squadron, and later with the 8th Air Force in Europe. During World War II, John served as a Lead Navigator for the 388th Bomb Group in England, flying numerous B-17 combat missions over Europe. He was shot down behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge, and worked his way back to the American lines with an injured crewmate, even using some German he learned from his grandparents to evade capture. He was decorated numerous times, including the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters. John retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1965 with the rank of Lt. Colonel. John worked for almost 40 years in the telecommunications and aerospace industries, retiring from Garrett AiResearch in 1982 as a maintainability engineer. He lived most of his life in New York and Los Angeles, with the last six years in St. Charles, Missouri. He is survived by a son, Gary, of Des Peres, Missouri and a daughter, Linda Flynn, of Los Angeles. He is also survived by a sister, Evelyn Amodeo of Pottersville, New York, and two granddaughters Erica and Ashley Flor, of Des Peres.