Mary Celeste Flynn

1941 - 2013

OELWEIN - Mary C. Flynn, 71, of Oelwein, died Thursday afternoon, July 11, 2013 at her home surrounded by her family.
Her funeral service will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 16, at the Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein with Robert Flynn leading the service. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Oelwein.
Family will greet friends from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday and for one hour before the service Tuesday at the funeral home.
A memorial fund has been established for Parent Share and Support, Cedar Valley Hospice, Oelwein Community Kitchen Cupboard and the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Rochester, Minnesota.
Online obituary at www.jamisonschmitzfuneralhome.com
Mary Celeste Kelly was born July 23, 1941 in Benson, Minnesota the daughter of Howard William and Catherine Esther (McGovern) Kelly. She graduated from Murdock High School at Murdock, Minnesota in 1959. She married her childhood sweetheart, John Patrick Flynn on June 30, 1962 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Murdock. She worked as a secretary for 10 years in the Twin Cities.
Mary mentored her growing children as the family moved from Morrison, Illinois to Harlan, Iowa and then to Oelwein. During that time she started taking college classes in Sterling, Illinois, Council Bluffs, and then at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls where, in 1985, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in humanities. In 1986 Mary volunteered at Parent Share and Support for one year and then became the Oelwein Area PSAS Director for nine years. As the director of PSAS, Mary wrote and directed an Iowa Department of Education grant that changed the face of parent education in Fayette County. These programs included Parents as Teachers, Toy Lending Library, Teen Parent Support Program and many other services. It was Mary's vision that opened Family Centers in Oelwein and West Union that continue to serve hundreds of area families.
In 1995, John and Mary moved to Hampton for three years. Mary worked as the Head Start Program Supervisor for three centers in Mason City. John and Mary then moved to Pine, Arizona for three years and returned to Oelwein in 2001. Mary previously was a member of the Little Husky Childcare and Preschool Board of Directors and the Oelwein Business and Professional Women's Club. She enjoyed reading and spending time with her family.
Mary is survived by her husband John Flynn of Oelwein; daughter Colleen (Dave) Irvine of Stanley; son Jason Flynn of Oelwein; 3 grandchildren, Benjamin and MacKenzie Irvine of Stanley and Dalton Flynn of Oelwein; sister Virginia (Edward) White of Windom, Minn., brother John (Pam) Kelly of Murdock, sister Rose Kelly of Roseville, Minn., brother Frank (Elaine) Kelly of Hastings, Minn., and sister Teresa (Jack) Dahl of Willmar, Minn., along with many nieces and nephews.
Mary is preceded in death by her parents, two sisters Theresa Louise Kelly and Catherine Kelly Quinn and a brother in infancy Joseph Earl Kelly.