Chris Flanagan (he/him, Portland, OR ’95-96) and Jim Bunker (he/him, Portland, OR ’91-92) made quite the pair as colleagues at the Inn Home for Boys in Portland, OR in the ‘90s.
Jim had been a JV some years before and stayed on staff. Chris, the new Jesuit Volunteer, was a larger-than-life northeasterner who made everything fun, supervised by Jim. Together, with another colleague, they came up with a brilliant idea. They noticed that the cat brought a lot of peace to the house when the kids were having a bad day. And, the Inn had a backyard with blackberry bushes. Why not… get some goats, offer the kids animals to connect with and work to take pride in?
So, with the approval of leadership, they built a pen and brought goats back to the Inn.
As Jim remembers it, “we brought these goats and put them in the pen. And within 5 minutes they just hopped the fence… And then, they would wreak havoc everywhere.”
It turns out, the goats weren’t nearly as affectionate as the cat. So, after months of trying to make connections, chasing down goats, and doing the hard work, the goat experiment failed.
“You know, Chris and I would laugh later in life about how naive he and I were. Like the joke was we didn’t know anything. Which, looking back, is sort of true… I think that’s really a reflection of what we were learning and what we were bringing to that position. What Chris brought was just himself.”
And himself was what the kids he served needed. He could be fun and compassionate, hold them accountable and give them grace. Jim remembers his generous spirit, and the way he could diffuse the toughest kids. Though Jim was more experienced, he learned so much from Chris in those years.
Chris brought his full self to his community, just as he did at service. Eric shared this early memory of beginning to build community at Orientation:
“I was nervous about living with a group of strangers and how I’d be perceived. I had been out in college at Santa Clara University. But I had no idea how it would go down. But I’ve never been one to be quiet about who I am, so I just let my housemates know. Afterward, Chris and I were walking back to our cabin. Just the two of us. And he told me, ‘I’m so glad you shared that with us because I grew up with my Uncle Dave, who’s gay. And my favorite uncle.’ In that moment, we were brothers. This guy I had JUST met let me know that I was safe. And he would continue to let me know I was safe that entire year and for all of the years we knew each other.”
Chris was always trying to build relationships and keep people connected to each other and to community. His sense of fun had a purpose. Jen remembers Chris as the big brother she never had, while Suzie appreciated the way Chris kept them connected at home. “Chris was the master of fun at Saint Francis house! Whether it was when he was being silly in the kitchen while cooking, planning community nights like karaoke, or hanging out at some of our favorite spots. He was always up for a good time and always tried to get us all to join in.”
As a JV in Portland, Chris was surrounded by JVs in his and other houses, and an active FJV community, which included Danielle (she/her, Omak, WA ‘94-95). Chris’ housemates knew as soon as Chris met Danielle that she would be someone special in his life. Danielle remembers connecting over a shared sense of purpose, and the values that would become the foundation of their life together. “The first time we really talked it was just a conversation about how we both wanted to be in education…. we needed to do our part. We connected on that from the start.”
Both of Chris and Danielle’s JV communities were present when they got married, and the values that brought them together defined their life at home as the parents of four wonderful children, their biggest adventure yet.
In the middle of being a Jesuit Volunteer, it can be difficult to know where it will all lead. Whether it is a particularly emotional day with a youth, or chasing down a goat… one more time…How will this all add up to a life? Who am I becoming? All JVs wrestle with these big questions at one time or another and Chris was no exception. Though he came from a family that was involved in education, and though he had previously worked as a camp counselor, Chris didn’t start his JV service knowing he would teach. Rather, he jumped in, bringing his whole self, seeing where the adventure would take him.
Chris jumped in to teaching, and leading schools, the same way he jumped into service. He knew the name of every child (there are hundreds!) at Madeira Elementary School where he was the principal. He was known for launching water balloons off the roof for field day, even if it meant Danielle spent hours the night before helping him fill balloons. He even camped on his school’s roof for a fundraiser, complete with a bedtime story to his students over Skype, and a webcam for evidence that he stayed.
But always, his fun served a purpose—creating a school community where each and every student could thrive. How he encouraged and led teachers, his vision for the future, each fun idea… it all contributed to this deep sense of purpose that was creating a world where children could grow and thrive as themselves.
In April of 2023, Chris passed away unexpectedly. Executive Director Greg Carpinello reflected on this loss at our benefit dinner in March. “The heartache his death caused was immeasurable. As a vivacious school principal in a tight-knit Cincinnati-neighborhood, it was clear Chris left a mark on generations of students there. Truly, Chris was a Person for Others… an embodiment of the joy stemming from living out the JVC Northwest values.”
This spring, Chris’ family received the Jack Morris Memorial Award in honor of Chris’ enduring legacy of living the values. (Read more about the event here.) Chris’ legacy will continue to inspire the students he served, the colleagues he worked with, his JV friends, and the communities that surrounded him.
We hope that Chris’ legacy can encourage our community to continue to boldly live out the values, bringing our whole selves to the communities we serve, always ready to see where it will take us.
