Virginia (Welch) Flanagan

passed early Tuesday morning. Born into the generation that was inspired by the words “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”, she lived that spirit her whole life. . Born Mary Virginia Welch in December of 1938, and raised on the Near Northside of Indianapolis in St. Joan of Arc Parish, she learned lessons and values that would lead her to a life of service, family and love.

Graduating St. Agnes in 1956, Ginny went on to receive a degree from Mount Saint Joseph’s on the Ohio in 1960. She returned to Indianapolis to teach in IPS. Her involvement with the local Democratic Party resulted in her termination, but the fight had just begun. She sued for herself and other government employees to be involved in the election process. This left us with the “Virginia Welch” law, and left her with a taste for politics which led her to Washington D.C.

After short stints in Senator Byrd’s and the Post Master General’s offices, she joined the new Department of Housing and Urban Development, and spent almost a quarter century trying to help people improve their living standards across the nation.

She is preceded in death by her parents and nine older siblings. She is survived by her son Bryan Anderson, her sisters-in-law Carolyn Finn Welch and Barbara Seal Welch and hundreds of loving and beloved nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 9, 2011 from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Feeney-Hornak Keystone Mortuary. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am, Monday, October 10, 2011 in St. Joan of Arc, followed by interment in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial tributes may be offered at www.feeneyhornakkeystone.com. Memorial donations may be made to The American Cancer Society or Alzheimer’s research.