James T. "Teddy" Flink

James Theodore Flink, 68, of Cary, NC went to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, on Monday, October 10, 2022.

Jim (AKA Teddy) was born in Norway, MI on April 28, 1954, to the late Charles Frederick Flink and Joan Carol (Johnson) Flink.  He was very proud of his hometown roots and being called a Yooper.  It was here he learned about nature, how to fish, hunt, speed skate and learned to play golf.  He feasted on fresh walleye and perch, hot homemade pasties, and his mother’s famous pumpkin bars.

In October 1969, the Flink family moved to Pittsburgh, PA where Jim attended North Hills High School.  He honed his golf skills and earned a top spot on the North Hills High School golf team.  An avid fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jim found the perfect job working as a vendor at Three Rivers Stadium to earn money to pay for college while watching his favorite teams. 

Jim excelled on the course for the West Virginia University Mountaineers golf team and graduated with a BA in Business Management in 1976.  After graduation he headed back to Pittsburgh, PA to pursue careers in banking and real estate. 

Jim moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1986 where he continued his real estate career with ADARON.  An entrepreneur at heart, Jim co-founded Vanguard Associates in 1987 and, with his partners, grew the firm into a regional commercial brokerage services company before selling to The St. Joe Company.  After selling Vanguard, he joined Dilweg Companies as partner where he focused on apartment acquisitions. Jim worked as Director of Land Advisory at Cushman & Wakefield and as Executive Vice President of Colliers International before joining APG Advisors and Capital in 2019 as Executive Vice President. 

Jim’s passion for his profession was only surpassed by his undying love for his family.  He adored his wife Nancy, the love of his life.  She made him intensely happy and filled his heart with joy.  Although Jim had no children of his own, he was much beloved as friend, mentor, and surrogate uncle to many young people who all thought of him as family.

A scratch golfer, Jim had a limitless passion for the game, but one of golf’s most sought-after achievements eluded him – a hole-in-one on a par 3 that is.  In 2005, Jim aced one of the par 4’s at the Brier Creek Country Club in Raleigh. Jim’s spectacular feat was matched less than 24 hours later when wife Nancy aced the famed par 3 island green at Prestonwood Country Club.  Making Nancy’s accomplishment all the more special was the fact that their home was adjacent to that 17th hole.  Jim and Nancy made national headlines, and in typical Jim fashion, he was more thrilled with Nancy’s achievement than his own.   He had a teacher’s heart for golf and was notorious for helping friends with tips to improve their swing.  He was a member at Prestonwood CC and Forest Creek for several years, and most recently could be seen at Lonnie Poole GC or Lochmere every weekend working on his game.

He gave his time, talent, and treasure to one of his favorite charities, Fairways for Warriors, which provides hope, healing, and camaraderie for combat wounded veterans and their families.

The hallmark of Jim’s life was his strong faith and being a follower of Jesus. He shared the gospel at every opportunity and his life continued to flourish in faith and fellowship with friends.  He never met a stranger and was genuinely interested in people and their personal lives; he saw the best in everyone.  Always mischievous with a pervasive grin and a twinkle in his eye, Jim loved his "Manny's", was a great joke teller, and sharer of UP stories and songs.  As one friend put it “Jim was my best friend, an honor I proudly share with 30 or 40 other guys.” And to that Jim would say “Ya, you betcha!”

Surviving are his beloved wife of 27 years, Nancy Gramling Flink, his brothers, Frederick Flink (Grace Holleman) of Norway, MI, Patrick Flink (Bonnie) of Cranberry Twp., PA, his sisters, Jane Carter (Roch) of Mequon, WI., Julie Hepner (John) of Dayton, Ohio and Sally McDonald (Chris) of Dorr, MI, his nephews, Brian and Jason Flink and Tanner Hepner, his nieces, Ashley Hepner, Brittany O’Connor (Patrick), Madison McDonald, Natalie McDonald, Meghan Schultz, Marissa Schultz, Alona Hepner, Kiernan O’Connor and Marin O’Connor, son-in-law of Barbara Gramling and the late Wayne Gramling, brother-in-law, Glenn Gramling (Karyn), a sister-in-law, Sally Roscetti (Tony), and Nancy’s nephews, Morgan, Adam and Christian Gramling and a niece, Katy Roscetti.

Our family is heartbroken. We are so blessed to have each other in this difficult time. As we grieve Jim's loss and embrace his memory, we ask for your prayers. We also ask that you honor Jim’s life and his way by motivating, encouraging, and expressing your love to your family and friends.

Friends are invited to a Memorial Service on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 2:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 117 South Academy Street, Cary, N.C. 27511. Guests can also view the service via live stream at https://firstcary.com/online. The service will be the first selection on the website.

A Celebration of his life will follow from 3-5 PM at Embassy Suites, 201 Harrison Oaks Blvd. Cary, N.C. 27513. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to one of Jim’s favorite charities from this site www.jimflink.com. Arrangements are under the direction of the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, Inc. 238 Crowe Ave. Mars, PA and condolences are available at https://www.mcdonald-aeberli.com/obituary/JamesTTeddy-Flink.