Obituary of Carolyn R. Flanagan

Carolyn R. Flanagan, 90, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, June 9, 2023, surrounded by her family. Known both early and late in life as "Mimi," she was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania on March 31, 1933. Mimi graduated from Laurel Hill Academy in Susquehanna in 1951 as the proud valedictorian of her class. After a false start as a nursing student, she attended Marywood College, graduating in 1956 and found her calling as an elementary school teacher in the Windsor, New York Central School District where she taught for 27 years, with a gap to raise her four children. Her continuing interest in education included work as a founding board member of the Claire Williams O'Neil Foundation, which has been awarding college scholarships to graduating seniors from the Susquehanna Community School District for more than twenty years. She was predeceased by her father, Thomas J. Reddon; her mother, Dorothy Williams Reddon; and her brother, John W. "Jack" Reddon. She fervently believed that she would be reunited with them upon her death, and was especially looking forward to catching up with her father, who died when she was four years old and whom she barely knew. She always looked for opportunities to help or extend kindness to others, and she cherished great lifelong friends. She was a thoughtful letter writer. She had a quick wit. She never liked to sit still for too long, and enjoyed a quick nine-hole round of golf. She loved attending daily Mass; taking daily walks; and, to the very end, the companionship offered by a good dog. She is survived by Donald M. Flanagan, her husband of almost sixty years; son Michael (Jocelyn Dyer) of Washington, DC; son Thomas of Syracuse, NY; son John of New York City; daughter Ellen of New York City; grandchildren Elizabeth (Antonino Martín-Martínez), Emily, Jasper and Hadley; cousin Roger O'Neil of London, England; and beloved nieces, nephews, and grand-nephews. Thanks to Lourdes Hospice (especially Jessica Day and Amy Pessarchick), Katie McCarthy, Katherine Davis, Mike Jones, and other caregivers whose assistance allowed Mimi to spend her final years in her home on Crestmont Road or the family camp on Oneida Lake, both of which she cherished. She took comfort in weekly visits from Sr. Teresia Mutiso, LSOSF. A Funeral Mass will be offered at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Highland Avenue, Binghamton at 11:30 am on Friday, June 16. At the request of the family, there will be no calling hours. Burial at St. Mary's of the Irish Ridge in Durhamville, NY will occur later this year. The Mass will be livestreamed at tinyurl.com/12w5eun or by going to https://sta-sp.org/ Mimi would have loved those so inclined to write a letter to a loved one in her memory. Alternatively, donations may made to the Carolyn R. Flanagan '56 Endowed Scholarship at Marywood University, which provides financial support to students attending Marywood from the Susquehanna area. The address for such gifts is Marywood University, 2300 Adams Avenue, Maria Hall, Scranton, PA 18509 or online at marywood.edu/makeagift.