Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake is mourning the loss of his father, Dean Flake.
The senator called his father his hero and the finest man he's ever known on a Twitter post on Monday night.
Dean Flake, a former rancher and mayor of Snowflake, Arizona, was 85.
A spokesman for the senator said he was in Snowflake on Tuesday but will be in Washington on Wednesday to vote on the motion to proceed on the health care bill.
Funeral arrangements have not been scheduled yet.
Sen. John McCain said in a statement that Dean Flake devoted his life to his family and was deeply engaged in his community.
Dean Flake served on the Board of Arizona State Parks and was a bishop at his church.
