Unless it was a coincidence like Bert the cop, Ernie the cab driver in It's A Wonderful Life, which CTW staff say the muppets ERnie and Bert were not named after them, there really isn't alot of deliberate behavior behind it as well, unless the Simpsons decide to have Ned off himself after mooning the Simpsons family.
I guess with Harry S Truman jokes as well, they could wrack up an entire episode about Ed Flanders and then have Ned go to the after-life. obviously, someone like Howie Mandel or Ed Begley jr would have to do the angellic voices for the right satire.

"The Simpsons" took advantage of the similarities: In one episode, Ned was comforting Marge about being arrested and stated he had a brush with the law as well. It then flashbacked to when he answered the doorbell and the police was there, looking for Ed Flanders. Ned said his name was Ned Flanders and the cop said, "Sorry, my mistake."

Indeed, same here intriguing.
Mandatory emoticon dispensed.
DON'T PANIC

I was asking myself the same question