Mrs Marianne F. Flanagan

Waterbury - Marianne Feeley Flanagan, age 81, passed away September 4th at the Village at East Farms, Waterbury, Connecticut; finally at peace after a long illness, in the care of her son and daughter and in the arms of her husband.

Born in Olyphant, Pennsylvania in 1941, the daughter of James W. Feeley and Catherine Barry Feeley, she graduated from Marywood University (Scranton, PA) with a bachelor’s degree in Latin and from Villanova University (Philadelphia, PA) with a master’s degree in library science. She then served variously as a school media specialist, public librarian, college librarian, systems librarian, library manager, and a high school and college educator in six states: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut. Most recently, from 1980 to 2002 she was Division Head of Collections at the Silas Bronson Library responsible for acquisition and maintenance of 226,000 volumes, in addition to government documents, audio and video recordings, periodicals, and computer data. She encouraged book donations from the public, collecting tens of thousands of books each year. Marianne’s dedication added volumes and value to the library and to the Friends of the Library book sales that funded hundreds of the library’s children’s programs. Upon retirement she continued to serve the public at the Naugatuck’s Whittemore Library as Reference Librarian for more than 11 years. . She also served on boards of directors, as recording secretary for organizations such as the Kiwanis (assisting with the children’s bicycle safety rodeo and children’s reading programs), the Friends of the Library (organizing book sales), and First Church Housing Senior apartments (advancing and maintaining the residents’ library collection).

Happily married to former Library Director Lee Flanagan, she is survived by him, her daughter Jennifer Steger (Pacific Regional Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) her husband Phillip and grandsons Jonathan and Christopher of Issaquah, Washington; by her son Mark Young (Chief Risk Officer, Consensys Software Inc.,) and his wife Carolyn of Ellicott City, Maryland and by her step-daughter Dr. Katherine Flanagan and grandchildren Devon and Annika of Mystic, Connecticut. While loving and loyal to friends and family, she cared deeply about adequate training of many library staffers. Not surprisingly, she had a deep love for animals, training and providing a loving home to 11 cats and 4 dogs over the past thirty years. She was ever strong, intelligent, educated, honest, sophisticated, and impeccable in dress, speech, managers and management. It was inevitable that her grandchildren’s nick-name for her, Gramma Marianne, would affectionately evolve to Grammarian, a woman whose guidance could be depended upon. She was without qualification an exemplary wife, mother and librarian; her memory will be cherished by all her friends and family, whose lives were made better by her wisdom, love, and laughter.

Memorial services will be announced at a later date. Burial will be private in the family cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To send notes of sympathy and comfort to Marianne’s family please visit her tribute page at www.berginfuneralhome.com

Donations in her memory may be sent to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 74 West Main St, Waterbury, CT 06702. .
Requiescat in Pace Marianne.