Debra Southwick-Flaherty

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Debra “Debbie” Southwick-Flaherty, of Shirley, on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at the age of 38. Born on March 10,1985 in Lynn, Debra lived a life filled with joy, compassion and love for her family and friends.

Debra is survived by her loving husband, Paul Flaherty, who stood by her side through thick and thin. She was a beacon of strength for her children, leaving behind her cherished daughter, Mykayla Parks, and her beloved son, Pedro Garcia-Nuñez Jr. Debra was also blessed with a grandson, Landon Parks, whose youthful spirit she deeply adored.

Debra’s sense of kinship extended beyond her immediate family to her siblings, Donna Corrigan and Nicholas Recker, her nephew, Damon Emmons, and her mother-in-law, Margaret Flaherty, who all held a special place in her heart. The absence of her mother, Diane Shore-Camp, who predeceased her, was deeply felt by Debra and served to strengthen her resolve to make the most of the time she had with her beloved family, and Diane's husband, Christopher Camp.

Eulogy by: Don Granese

Debra Ann Southwick-Flaherty was born on March 10th, 1985 in Lynn, five years before me. She was my older cousin. We were both lucky to be born into a big family that raised their babies together, supported and loved them from the moment they arrived. On the day of her birth, her mother Diane told her sisters she was nervous and scared to go into labor for the first time, but later said it was all well worth it while she held her new daughter.

In our family, our cousins are our best friends, our fellow adventurers, and often like siblings. Debra used to play freeze tag, go fishing up north, and run around many familiar neighborhoods with us as kids. When she was a teen she babysat me often, once for an entire summer. That July, we went on a field trip to the beach to compete with our Parks and Recreation group in a city-wide sand castle decorating contest. We made a huge castle surrounded by a moat that won first place and got our picture in the Daily Item.

I still remember one long car trip when I was really young, heading up to New Hampshire, it had been stressful getting the car packed and on the road. Both her sister Donna and I immediately fell asleep in the backseat, sandwiching Debra in the middle, and rather than complaining or pushing us off of her, she rode the entire two hours squished between us. She was more than ready to be a big sister for yet another kid by the time Nicholas was born. She never complained about the small stuff, or having to pitch in to help. Debra had a patience for just about anything and treated everyone like family. This helped her to become such a wonderful mother, wife, and grandmother to a family of her own.

Her husband Paul says they were both able to start new lives with each other when they moved to Shirley, and they were both so happy, surrounded by friends and family on their wedding day. This year they celebrated their daughter, Mykayla Parks' high school graduation. In October, Debra visited with Aunts over tea, and caught up with cousins and their kids around a backyard campfire.

I’m thankful for the many holidays we shared. One year, we were lucky to have Debra and her kids at our family's house for Christmas, we got to enjoy watching her kids, Junior and Mykayla open gifts together. That year, had been difficult for her, but she navigated it all for her family. Months later she told my mother over the phone the same thing Diane did when Debra was born, that everything she had to go through was worth it.

"Sometimes the people we love, rely on, and don’t know what we’d do without, seem to leave us too soon, but they’re never gone. Everything we love about them, can be alive with us, if we choose to learn from how they were; how they treated us, and how we know they’d want us to keep moving forward. We’ll keep you in what’s left behind. In all the dreams that filled your mind. In all the places where you’ve been, and cared to share light from within. We ask your love become our own, so we can learn from all you’ve shown, how we can make dark days more bright. We’ve lost enough to night tonight, we ask your gifts be ours to give, so that your light may longer live. Not ways of pain, but days we’ll gain. Together linked, unending chain. All came from same beginnings once, we grew through differing days and months. My kin to me you’ll always be, in me I’ll look and you I’ll see"