Catherine "Kay" Flynn

Catherine (Kay) Flynn was born on November 10, 1931 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Helen Winzenburg Benson and Dr. Thomas Benson. After high school, Kay attended St. Catherine’s College and graduated with a degree in library science. Following graduation, Kay went to Japan to serve as the base librarian for Gifu Air Field, where she met her husband, Edward M. Flynn, a civilian engineer working for the Air Force. They were married on February 14, 1958 and welcomed their sons, Thomas and John while in Japan. Kay and Ed returned to the U.S. in 1961, lived briefly in Patterson, N.J. and then settled in East Northport, Long Island, where she had two more children, Theresa and Daniel. When her children were all of school age, Kay went back to college and got her Masters in Library Science and pursued a career as a junior high school librarian – where she loved teaching children the joys of reading.

Kay and Ed were dedicated Catholics and practiced their faith by helping others in need. They took in their foster son, Angel Luis Rodriguez, when he was 12 and he became a brother to their four children. Angel preceded his mother in death in 2019. Kay and Ed were passionate golfers who played together every weekend for many years. She lost Ed to cancer in 1992. After his death, she retired from teaching and moved to Fairfax, Virginia to be close to her children, Theresa and Dan. She took a job as a starter at Reston Golf Club where she was a fixture for many years and got to indulge her passion for playing golf. Kay also became very involved in Elderhostel and traveled the world. She visited over 50 countries over the next 20 years, including trips to almost every European country, Russia, Israel, South America (including Machu Picchu in Peru, Angel Falls in Venezuela, Sao Paulo in Brazil and most other South American countries). She took a river trip on the Yangtze River in China before the Three Gorges Dam was built, visited Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Fiji. Her last trip in 2016 was to the “Stans” – Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. She had already been almost everywhere else!

Kay was very involved in her parish, St. John Neumann, where she taught religious education to junior high children and adult religious education (RCIA) for those converting to Catholicism. She was also a passionate supporter of the Right to Life movement and attended every March for Life from 1975 to 2016. She became a Franciscan in 2012 and was very involved in Franciscan activities until her health declined.

In the last year of her life, Kay was a resident of Aarondale Retirement Community in Springfield, Virginia. She moved home with her son Daniel and daughter-in-law Donna, under hospice care shortly before her death on March 11, where she was surrounded by her children.

She is survived by her siblings, Eleanor Knudson, of Mandan, North Dakota, Barbara McMullen of Columbus, Indiana, Thomas Benson of Denver Colorado, and her children, Dr. Thomas Flynn of Kalamazoo, Michigan, John Flynn of Huntington, N.Y., Theresa Heaney of Fairfax Station, Virginia and Daniel Flynn of Clifton, Virginia, and her 12 grandchildren (Nicholas, Bridget and Mark Flynn of Huntington, NY, Kate, Annie, Ian, Aidan and Joey Flynn of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Liam, Brenna, Eamon and Clare Heaney of Fairfax Station, Virginia). She was predeceased by a grandson, James Edward Flynn.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully asks that donations be made to the charity Priests for Life (priestsforlife.org) in Kay’s memory.

Kay’s funeral service will be held at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston, VA on Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:15 am (wake at the church at 10:30).

We ask everyone who knew our mom to rejoice with us that she is home with our Lord. Hallelujah!!