FLORENE ‘FLOSSIE’ LENTZ

Bandera’s BFF, Florence “Flossie” Lentz passed away Monday evening, Oct. 14, at Lake Geneva Manor in her home state of Wisconsin, surrounded by family, according to son, Frank Lentz.

Born a southeastern Wisconsin farm girl on Nov. 4, 1928, Flossie spent her adult life as a factory supervisor.

“I had 200 girls under me and never had a problem,” she stated. “You work together as a group.”

Those people skills stood her in good stead when she and longtime companion Jerry Bartlett moved to Bandera fulltime and became resident managers of the Farm RV Park.

After Jerry’s death, Flossie continued as manager for over 25 years, until her retirement in 2011.

Flossie and Jerry traveled to all contiguous states and to Mexico, Canada and Alaska, but always returned to Bandera.

“It was the music,” she said.

“We said to ourselves, ‘Where did this place come from?’ We got back to Texas as fast as we could, and this ‘Damn Yankee’ became a Texan,” she once said with a trademark, salty twinkle.

Flossie and her Farm contingent had a reserved table at the Silver Dollar for years, where she loved trading insider winks and laughs with Arkey Blue and dancing her “Pistol Packin’ Mama Strut.”

She and Farm residents were also frequent visitors to the 11th Street Cowboy Bar, where she enjoyed a fond and longstanding friendship with Stella Tedesco and James McGroarty.

Flossie loved people, and they loved her and her dynamic personality right back!

She moved home to Wisconsin several years ago to be closer to family and delighted in the proximity of son Frank, his wife, Dawn, grandsons Nick (Ashley) and Nathan (Ria) Lentz, and especially her two beloved, great-granddaughters, Whitely May and Sutton Jane.

She leaves not only family but the many Bandera friends who knew and loved her.

Flossie Lentz was 90.

Arrangements are pending.