Victim a 'family man,' 'hard worker'
A Bridgeville man who was killed in a three-vehicle crash in Connoquenessing Township was described as a hard-working, caring, family man by relatives and co-workers.
Jonathan D. Flickinger, 34, was on his way to work Thursday when he was in a crash on Evans City Road that left him with fatal injuries.
Flickinger, a native of Washington County, is survived by his wife Jenna and their two children, a 3-year-old girl and an infant boy, according to his brother, Chris Flickinger.
“Anybody who talks with Jonathan would say he is a very sentimental, very caring and very thoughtful person,” he said.
Despite earning a law degree, Flickinger chose to go into human resources. One of his earlier jobs was with the mixed-martial-arts league Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas, Chris said.
Chris Flickinger described his brother as being wise beyond his years and connected to many people through his different work and educational experiences.
“Jonathan has more Facebook friends and LinkedIn friends than anyone I know,” he said.
While spending Christmas with family earlier this week, Jonathan had remarked to their parents that he had accomplished two of his biggest goals in life, having a successful career and starting a family.
His mother, Debra Flickinger, said that family was everything to him and he always tried to encourage others.
“The most important things to Jonathan were his faith, his family, his friends and his country,” she said.
Starting on Nov. 27, he served as chief human capital officer for Quality Life Services, which has its office on Main Street in Butler.
His job included handling human resource issues for the 1,300 people who are employed by the company, said Travis Crotallo, director of marketing for Quality Life Services.
Susie Tack Beardsley, chief administrative officer for Quality Life Services, said that while he was a relatively new employee, losing him was “like losing a family member.”
“It is really important to us as a company, our company slogan is 'Family is who we are', and he was very much a part of that,” she said. “We thought so highly of him and he will be missed.”
Beardsley described Flickinger as a “really ambitious” person, filling the newly created position for the company.
“He had only been here a few weeks, but was doing great work,” she said. “He really hit the ground running. He had a gift for it.”
Crotallo described Flickinger as a “good man” who was “fun and bubbly” and a “very positive guy.”
Flickinger held several degrees, including a bachelor of arts in history and economics from Washington & Jefferson College, as well as a law degree from Duquesne University School of Law and an Advanced Certificate in Strategic Human Resources Management from Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations School, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He had been named a “Gamechanger” and in 2016 was named in the Top 25 HR Executives Under 40 by Workforce Magazine; an “HR Rising Star” via Human Resource Executive Magazine in 2016; and an Optimas Award Winner-Recruiting by Workforce Magazine in 2017.
He had previously worked as a consultant for Human Capital Advisors in Pittsburgh, director of human resources for Shaft Drillers International in Pittsburgh, and director of human resources for Swanson Industries in Morgantown, W.Va., according to his LinkedIn profile.
Beardsley said while Flickinger was a hard worker, there was nothing more important to him than his wife and children.
“If there is one thing we want to make very clear, his wife and children were the most important thing in the world to him,” she said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and family.”
