Mary Ann Flanagan was a light. Her impish smile of interest and friendship, the almost wink she shared - letting you know that you and she were in this together.

Mary Ann lived upstairs in Old Town, Eureka, where she loved being in the thick of things. Each day she dressed all color coordinated, with a warm sweater, gloves, scarf, and jaunty hat… rain or shine. She made an almost daily trek to the co-op for coffee and an atomic bran muffin. She then stopped at her favorite bookstores, the herb shop, and all the thrift stores, finally feeding the birds down at the bay.

Bussing and walking all over town, Mary Ann attended the Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Orthodox churches, tai chi in the courtyard, meditation group and retreats, along with visits to the library, and the historical society among other destinations. Her favorite was visiting her son John at his home, a couple of miles away.

Mary Ann walked with determination, a goal in mind - the downtown post office to send off her many correspondences that she wrote in her beautiful script, the copy shop, so she could include important political, and spiritual commentary - always progressive, always personally reflective.

Mary Ann wrote to local politicians to call them out and encourage them to do right by the people. She also had numerous strongly worded letters to the editor published in the local papers. Mary Ann wrote to the Catholic Bishop imploring him and the Church to get with the times. (He answered.) While sure to get her point across, Mary Ann was eloquent and gracious, careful to write, speak and act from the heart.

Mary Ann loved to listen to opera on Saturday mornings while sitting in her chair looking down on the happenings of Clark Plaza. Spiritual, healing, and old time radio CDs filled her evenings. She was intrigued by late-night talk radio from varied political views (“You have to listen to the other guys to see what they are thinking!”) Mary Ann was thrilled by the community pride and inspiration of the Sara Bareilles concert at the bay in 2022. She never wanted to miss out on a happening!

Before her final chapter here in Humboldt, she lived many different lives. Her story began on May 6, 1930, when she was born in Los Angeles to her parents John Juenemann and Elsie (Zielski) Juenemann. Her father and his siblings continued the family business of Juenemann Pickles, Kraut and Relish Corp. while her mother worked as a nurse at the hospital where Mary Ann was born.

When she was four years old her siblings Bob, George, Joan and Jeanne joined the family in rapid succession. Mary Ann quickly became their second mother, nurturing, teaching, comforting, and encouraging each one. She put the girls’ hair up in ringlets, taught them all to play the piano, sewed pinafores and outfits for them, and was sure to make all birthdays and holidays special. Mary Ann and her siblings were a clan unto themselves, and she was forever proud of each of them throughout their lives.

In 1944, Mary Ann received an academic scholarship to Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, where she boarded for four years, graduating with honors in 1948. She continued to correspond with many of her classmates over the decades.

Mary Ann always worked hard, spending much of her wage-earning time as a night auditor in fancy hotels like the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles and the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. While at the Fontainebleau, Mary Ann saw a man getting roughed up by Frank Sinatra’s associates. Mary Ann yelled, “Boo Sinatra!”, which made Sinatra very annoyed. She was quickly driven home by her boss, with instructions to lay low for a couple of days. That was Mary Ann, fearless - fiercely independent, and ready to call it like she saw it.

In 1960, Mary Ann and her sister Joan traveled to Germany to witness the every ten years’ performance of the Oberammergau Passion Play. They made their way there as the only passengers on a freighter out of New York City. While in Europe, they left their tour group to search out their own adventures. Of course, they brought home many a story!

In the mid 1960’s, on a whim, Mary Ann and a friend moved to Hawai’i where they worked and had fun living the island life. After a few years, Mary Ann returned to Los Angeles, then soon moved to Florida where, her son John Vincent Flanagan was born in 1967. Mary Ann reveled in the joys of mothering her boy. Her father John joined them in Florida, and the three of them lived there until they moved back to Pasadena in 1977.

While John grew through his teen years, he and Mary Ann lived in the Los Angeles area, where Mary Ann always worked hard to support her son. Good times and hard times were had during this period.

In 2005, after John had discovered and moved to Humboldt County with his partner Sharon, Mary Ann followed the one true romantic love of her life, Weston Fisher, to Mississippi. She and Weston had ten very happy years together. Mary Ann volunteered with Head Start, managed an antique store, and made many good friends in Mississippi. In 2016, Mary Ann’s son John had become ill, and he asked her to come to Eureka. Although sad to leave Weston, Mary Ann’s devotion to John made her quickly decide to move. She was glad to have had these last years with John, until he passed away in 2021.

On February 18, 2023, Mary Ann visited her son’s grave to speak of their mother -son love and how much she missed him. She told him that she was so proud to have him as her son and that she was looking forward to being with him again. Soon after, while with a dear friend, Mary Ann had a stroke that took away her ability to speak out loud. Her sister Jeanne traveled to be with her at the hospital in Davis where they held hands and sang songs of faith and childhood.

Mary Ann was moved from the hospital to rehabilitation in Santa Rosa to concentrate on regaining her speech. On April 1, 2023, a close friend was visiting, reading aloud cards that Mary Ann had received, holding her close and speaking of her family and God’s love. That night, Mary Ann was tucked in and kissed goodnight. On the morning of April 2, 2023, Mary Ann passed away.

Mary Ann Flanagan was preceded in death by her parents John and Elsie, sister Jeanne’s husband Pat (2018), her brother George (2020), her sister Joan (2021), her son John (2021), her brother Bob (2022), and her life partner Weston (2023).

Mary Ann is survived by her sister Jeanne, her son’s life partner Sharon, and many, many friends that loved her so very much.

A celebration of life memorial will be held for Mary Ann in the ballroom at the Inn at Second and C (Eagle House) on Friday, April 21, 2023, from 1-4 p.m. All of Mary Ann’s friends and neighbors are welcome to come by and join in a joyful remembrance of a truly remarkable woman.

Graveside services will be held on Saturday April 22, 2023 at 11 a.m. at Oceanside Cemetery. Mary Ann will be laid to rest next to her son John, as was her final wish.

Mary Ann had hope and faith in all of us. As we walk among our world neighbors, be that bright and shining light!

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