Thomasine Rita Flanagan's Obituary
Thomasine Rita Flanagan passed peacefully into the grace of God with her two loving sons, Shawn and Michael Kerivan, at her side, on February 11, 2020, after a brief illness. She was born on May 16, 1940, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, into the Flanagan clan, a sprawling, wonderful family of Irish Americans. She adored her father, John Thomas Flanagan, who served in the U.S. Army, and who died in 1952. Her Aunt Mildred then took her in and raised her to be a strong loving woman.
Thomasine--known as “Tomi” to friends and family--graduated from Methuen High School in 1957, and Merrimack College in 1960. While working at the Mitre Corporation in 1962, she met her husband Dan Kerivan. The two were married in 1963, had two sons (Shawn Thomas and Michael Patrick), and later divorced.
As a single mother, Tomi took control of her family by working for Attorney Robert Galvin for 30 years, owning her own home, mastering the art of the crock pot meatloaf, and maintaining a wide circle of loving and laughing friends, with whom she shared her love of life and her love of Manhattans. Wherever she went she made friends fast and for life. But nothing made her happier than talking about her sons, Shawn and Michael. She was never so proud as when she talked about Michael, and his service in the United States Marine Corps, and Shawn, a writer and professor.
She lived in Green Harbor, Massachusetts, for over 40 years, and one of her joys was taking her dog, Nikki, for long walks on the beach, where she could patiently explain everything on her mind. Her love of the beach--from Salsbury, to Duxbury, to HIlton Head--was a constant theme in her life, and it was a place she could always find joy and peace.
In 2005 she moved to White River Junction, Vermont, where she worked for the D.A.V. at the V.A. hospital, helping deserving veterans access their benefits. In 2016 she moved to Littleton, Massachusetts, to be close to her sister, Francine Howshan.
Known as “Nana” to her four grandchildren, Thomasine loved nothing more than seeing them blossom into the young adults that they are today. She was beyond proud of their accomplishments, especially their success in college (Seamus, University of Vermont; Brendan, Maine Maritime Academy; Connor, Unity College; Emily, University of Mississippi).
Thomasine leaves behind her sons: Shawn, of Stowe, Vermont, and Michael, of Bethlehem, New Hampshire. Family members include Shawn’s wife, Chantal, their sons Seamus and Brendan; Michael’s wife Carol, their son, Connor, and their daughter, Emily. A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Green Harbor, Massachusetts at 11 a.m. on May 15, 2020, the day before her 80th birthday. Tomi loved all the animals in her life--the cats, the dogs, the birds at her feeder--and she would be filled with joy if people would support local animal shelters in her name.
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