Flag-Flyer "Ski" Demski's Former Residence, 4th/Lime, Up For Sale; UPDATE: Yes, Ski's Ashes Are Entombed Atop The Giant Flagpole; No, The Flagpole Isn't Included In Sale of the House

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(July 18, 2011, 7:30 a.m., UPDATED 9:10 a.m.) -- LBReport.com has learned that the 4th/Lime residence of record-setting-flag-flyer and Long Beach icon, the late Thomas "Ski" Demski, has been put on the market.

A realtor with the listing confirmed that the Thomas L. Demski Trust has put the property at 402 Lime Ave. up for sale.

Among the things we were interested in knowing is whether the property continues to be Mr. Demski's residence in death.

LBReport.com and other outlets reported at the time of his Jan. 2002 passing that it was Mr. Demski's wish that he be cremated and his ashes placed inside the 130+ foot flag pole he constructed at 402 Lime Ave. In the 1990s, a dispute arose over whether it was legal to have the remains of Demski's friend, Col. Clem Maloney, interred in the pole. The original "Superflag" website said Mr. Demski's ashes were indeed put inside the flagpole along with Col. Maloney's ashes.

UPDATE: CDR Jim Alexander, trustee for the property, tells LBReport.com that the remains (ashes) of Thomas L. Demski (Ski) and Clem Maloney are in the "POLE" as follows:

Ski's ashes are entombed in the eagle on top of the flag. A portion of Clem's ashes are in the base, encased in concrete.

"The flag pole is not presently included in the sale of the house," Commander Alexander tells LBReport.com. [END UPDATE]

Mr. Demski was, to say the least, a colorful figure. (LBReport.com photo, right).

In 1981, a Long Beach City Hall staffer contended Mr. Demski needed a permit because his giant flag pole included shiny lettering saying "The Pole" (which allegedly made it a sign requiring a permit). Demski refused and City Hall could have prosecuted him for a misdemeanor, potentially carrying a $500 fine and six months in jail. The brouhaha ended when the City Council changed the law to exempt flag poles from the city's sign ordinance.

In 1988, LB City Hall did prosecute Mr. Demski, charging he had committed a crime by refusing to stop flying his giant flag after 10 p.m. City Hall acted after roughly two dozen neighbors complained over the flag's flapping noise; City Hall claimed the resulting decibels violated LB's noise ordinance and ordered Demski to lower the flag at night or face prosecution.

The Press-Telegram editorialized in favor of City Hall against Demski: "The order is reasonable. It simply requires Demski to follow normal protocol in handling the American flag -- and to demonstrate some courtesy toward his neighbors." Mr. Demski faced seven misdemeanor counts that could have brought a maximum of three and a half years in jail and $7,875 in fines; the case made national news...and a judge eventually threw out City Hall's complaint against Demski.

Mr. Demski reacted by running for Mayor...three times. In one memorable televised Mayoral candidate debate, Demski appeared on camera with a squawking pet parrot on his shoulder.

Mr. Demski, who said he loved the sight of American flags, received Guiness Book of World Records recognition as the owner of the world's largest flag, a gargantuan Old Glory that he rented and displayed (for fees) at a number of nationally televised sports and patriotic events. At one point, there were three Superflags touring the country, the largest being 255 feet by 500 feet and requiring at least 600 volunteers to carry.

Despite failing health, Mr. Demski travelled to New York following the 9/11 terror attacks and visited "Ground Zero."

He said he was especially proud that one of his flags flew from a crane helping in the recovery effort.

In what must be one of the more unique medical descriptions in the annals of the L.A. County Coroner's office, its investigator's narrative indicated that Mr. Demski's body "appears to be that of an adult, Caucasian, male with numerous colorful tattoos all over the body. Most of which are of the American flag..."

In March, 2002, the L.A. County Coroner's office ruled Mr. Demski's death a suicide; toxicological tests found a level of Tramadol [Ultran], a painkiller, in his system beyond therapeutic levels, the Coroner's office told LBReport.com at the time.

A few weeks earlier, Mr. Demski received warm messages after area media (including LBReport.com, the LA Times, Beachcomber and PressTelegram) reported he was in failing health.

Mr. Demski became an avid internet user (and an LBReport.com reader) in the web's earliest days.

He invited us to include his email address in our coverage...and told us he was gladdened by the email he received.