Patrick Flynn Research Paper

The Deaths of Patrick and Nora (Knightly) Flynn

One of the most difficult aspects of growing older is coping with the deaths of those you have known from the time you were young be they parents, siblings or friends. It can be reliably stated that the two deaths that occur in 1928 and 1929 leave a void in the heart of Jeremiah Patrick Flynn that can never be filled. For Jerry, word that both of his parents have passed away, within one year of each other, in the house that he was born and raised in, undoubtedly brings a flood of emotion. For Jerry there are so many memories from so long ago of the two people who gave him life and who raised him. And yet how difficult to reflect on your parents when you have not seen either one of them

As with the death of Jerry’s mother, his brother, John, is present when Patrick passes. Like his wife, Patrick dies in the little stone cottage that he and his brother, Sean, had built 54 years ago, that is, in preparation for his marriage to Nora. Also dying of senile decay, Patrick’s last few years have not been easy. According to a letter sent to Jerry by his sister, Nellie (Flynn) Meehan, their father “was dark for 4 years before he died.” Although this could be interpreted to mean that Patrick suffers from advanced senility, in all likelihood he is blind. He has never lived in a house that has electricity or indoor plumbing. And yet, with practically no worldly goods and without access to good medical care, Patrick lives to the age of 83. He is also is buried in the Old Keel Cemetery. His little seven year old granddaughter, Nora Flynn, lives in the same house with her grandfather and has faint memories of him. Although he is buried in an unmarked grave, Nora mentally carries with her throughout her lifetime the exact location of where her grandfather is buried. Fifty five years later, in 1995, Nora goes right to grassy spot in the cemetery, points down at the ground, and says, “This is where Patrick Flynn is buried.” (F152) (F190)