Helen Marie Flanagan's Obituary
Helen Marie (Wilson) Flanagan passed away suddenly at home in Lake City, FL on February 12, 2017. The daughter of William and Myra Wilson, Helen was born on January 20, 1929 in Glassboro, NJ. She graduated from Glassboro High School and completed her nurse’s training at West Jersey Hospital in Camden, NJ. She started her nursing career at Greystone Hospital where she met Edgar Flanagan. Helen and Ed married on May 14, 1950 and moved to South Jersey, where they raised three children, Gail, Joe, and Shelia. While raising her children, Helen worked as a Registered Nurse at Newcomb Hospital in Vineland, NJ. The Flanagans lived in Newfield, NJ until their children married and Ed retired. Then Helen and Ed moved to Tavares, FL where Helen worked at Waterman Hospital in Eustis. Ed passed away in 1998, and Helen later moved to Lake City, FL where she was close to her son Joe and his family. There she remained active in many clubs until her death: her book club, the Newcomers Club, the Heritage Club, and her beloved Geri-Actors Readers’ Theater group. She enjoyed putting on plays and being a part of this group of actors, and she had attended Geri-Actors just three days before her passing. She loved the library, and as a member of the Friends of Library she donated a sound system to be used for library programs and recently donated and upgraded wireless sound system. She loved baseball and her Atlanta Braves, an enthusiasm she shared with her son Joe. Helen remained independent, living alone in her own home, doing all her own shopping, cooking, and housework, and she continued driving her own car. She was a good friend to many people in South Jersey, Tavares, FL and Lake City, FL. Helen loved her family; her parents, her sisters and brothers, her husband, her three children and their spouses, her three grandchildren, and her three great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her brothers Bill and Russ and her sister Dorothy. Helen is survived by her sister Marjorie Levering; her children Gail Tweedt and her husband Eric; Joe Flanagan and his wife Chris; and Shelia Levine and her husband Jack; her grandchildren Gwendolyn Lanning, Jay Flanagan, Allison Steward and her husband Eb, her great-grandchildren Jude, John, and Ande Steward, other relatives, and many friends. Helen believed in eating right and exercise, and before her 70th high school reunion last year, she rode her stationary bicycle around the world twice, averaging 5 miles a day seven days a week, an accomplishment she was proud of. A private Celebration of Life will be held in NJ. Another Celebration of Life is scheduled for Sunday, March 5, 2017, at 2:00 pm at the Lifestyle Enrichment Center, 628 S.E. Allison Court, Lake City, Florida. Online condolences may be submitted to Lake City Reporter at www.Legacy.com and condolences, memories and photos may be shared on the tribute wall. Donations in Helen’s memory can be made to The American Heart Association; https://donatenow.heart.org/?s_src=NAV
What’s your fondest memory of Helen?
What’s a lesson you learned from Helen?
Share a story where Helen's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Helen you’ll never forget.
How did Helen make you smile?