Ceil Gordon Flacks

Ceil Flacks, 87, died peacefully on May 30 in Peabody, MA. She is survived by her daughter Marjorie Wittner and her husband Ben, of Salem, Massachusetts, her son Andrew Flacks and his wife Cindy, of Baltimore, Maryland, and her four beloved grandchildren, Daniel, Zoee, Alexandra (Allie) and Michael.

Born Ceil Gordon in Bronx, New York, Ceil was the daughter of Joseph Gordon, a cutter in the men’s garment industry, and Bessie Gordon, a homemaker. Always bright and hardworking, she graduated near the top of her class at William Howard Taft High School in 1945, before going on to study business at what is now Baruch College in New York City.

In 1949, she married her college sweetheart Martin (Marty) Flacks and moved to Flushing, Queens to raise their two children. The two shared a wonderful 40-year marriage, enhanced by their mutual love of theater, dance, and art. After Marty’s death, Ceil moved to an apartment in Manhattan with a view of the Empire State Building, where she took full advantage of the cultural opportunities around her.

Ceil worked various administrative and customer service jobs throughout her career and impressed everyone with her intelligence, organizational skills and diligence. After her retirement, she volunteered at a senior center in Greenwich Village, working to get free theater and movie tickets for the seniors. She also volunteered at a daycare center. She moved to an assisted living facility in Peabody in 2009, where, despite losing her mobility and moving far away from the New York that she loved, she remained kind, funny, and loving.

Memorial services will be held at Stanetsky -Hymanson Memorial Chapel on Wednesday, June 3 at 2 PM. Memorial observance at the home of Marjorie and Ben Wittner following the service on Wednesday until 8 PM, Thursday 5-8 PM and on Friday 1-4 PM. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Aviv Centers for Living in Peabody MA. For online condolences, please visit www.stanetskyhymansonsalem.com