Karen Hobert Flynn

Karen Hobert Flynn, 60, of Middletown, Connecticut, beloved wife of Robert B. Flynn, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2023, surrounded by her family.

Karen was born in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, to Susan Hobert Forrest and the late Peter C. Hobert. Besides her husband and mother, Karen is survived by four sons: John C. Flynn of Michigan, Peter K. Flynn of Illinois, Daniel G. Flynn of Massachusetts, and Michael D. Flynn of Middletown, as well as her sister Patricia Milligan of Florida, her brother Peter Hobert Jr. and his wife Meleah of Florida, her mother’s husband James Forrest of Florida, and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Karen graduated from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana in 1984. Within a few years, she began her nearly forty-year career with Common Cause, eventually serving as its ninth president. Karen’s time at Common Cause was marked by extraordinary dedication, relentless optimism, and inexhaustible courage in the fierce pursuit of an inclusive, accountable democracy that worked for all people. She always kept people at the forefront of everything she did. She lived the simple and yet profound truth that every person matters and deserves to be heard.

Family was everything to Karen.  It was her deep love and commitment to her loving family that sustained her. She was a devoted, considerate, and loving wife to Rob throughout twenty-nine wonderful years of marriage. To her sons, Karen was a loving and compassionate mother, their first and biggest supporter.

Karen filled our lives with generosity, kindness, brilliance, and laughter. She inspired us every day and we will try every day to live up to the example she set for us. The enormity of her loss is only a reminder of the fullness of the blessings she brought to the lives of people who knew her.

Friends and family may call on Friday, March 10 at Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver Street, Middletown from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. A funeral liturgy will be held Saturday, March 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Pius X Church, 310 Westfield Street, Middletown. The family will hold a private burial at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages those who wish to honor Karen’s memory to make contributions in her name to Common Cause or to St. Vincent de Paul in Middletown. To share memories or express condolences online, please visit www.biegafuneralhome.com.