Mary B. Flanagan

Mary B. FLANAGAN Age: 87 of Seattle, Died November 5, 2005 She is survived by her son, Michael and his wife Barbara, her nieces Edna Mae Giberson and Barbara Herman and her cousins Robert, Jeanne, Steve and Jim Monroe. Mary was born on the Norton Ranch near Alamosa, Colorado on October 12, 1918. Two months after her birth her mother died in the national flu epidemic and her maternal aunt brought her to the northwest where they lived on Vashon Island for 4 years. Mary and her adoptive parents, Esta and Joe Rees, then moved to Seattle where Mary lived most of her life. She attended McDonald Elementary, John Marshall Junior High and Lincoln High Schools. She graduated from Lincoln in 1937 and married her high school sweetheart Charles who worked for the Union Oil Company all of his adult life including brief stays in Spokane and Los Angeles until his death in 1984. For many years Mary worked as an instructor for the Theater School of Dance owned by the late Giovanni and Henriette Giglio. Mary was a Type 1 diabetic for most of her life and became a pioneer in the use of the insulin pump. She has been an inspiration to many diabetics as well as their physicians in showing that a Type 1 diabetic can lead a satisfying, productive, and long life. For many of her later years she worked for the Seattle chapter of the American Diabetes Association founded by Dr. Robert Neilson. Mary had resided in the Queen Anne area since 1959. Arrangements were made by Evergreen-Washelli. No services are planned. Memorial contributions in Mary's name may be made to the American Diabetes Association.