Robert Bachman, who worked for 30 years at the Norfolk Post Office and ran a successful greenhouse business on Winchester Rd., died on April 22 at the age of 80. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he is particularly remembered for having started and funded the Norfolk tradition of handing out flags at the Memorial Day Parade. Sandy Evans, a spokesman for the Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance, reports that her organization has distributed 5 gross of flags every year, or an approximate total of 8,000 flags since the tradition started following the attack on the World Trade Center. The flags at this year’s Memorial Day Parade will be given out in Bachman’s memory. Bachman was born in 1931 in Stamford, Conn. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1952 and afterwards joined the Navy. He lost the use of one eye while serving in the military and, a talented gardener, became well known on his return to Norfolk for his tomato plants and decorative window boxes. A memorial service will be held at the Church of Christ Congregational, Norfolk, of which he was a member, on May 19 at 2 p.m., followed by a party at the Newgate Coon Club. All are welcome.