Elizabeth Quinn Flanagan

Beth died peacefully at her home in Yarmouthport, MA on May 7, 2020 at the age of 84. Beth was the widow of John T. “Jack” Flanagan, the beloved mother of Mary Shanahan and her husband Bob Shanahan, Pegi Frostholm and her partner Walt Rihl, and Katherine “Kit” Flanagan and her husband Jeff Fleming. She was the loving grandmother of Will Morgan and his wife Bonnie Smalley, Kevin Shanahan and June Shanahan, Emily Fleming and Matt Fleming, great grandmother to Kevin’s daughter Kyley Shanahan, and aunt to many nieces and nephews. Beth was predeceased by her three brothers, Bob, Frank, and Neal Quinn.

Beth and Jack were married for just over 46 years. Born and raised in Essex County, NJ, Beth received her undergraduate degree from Marymount Manhattan College, and went on to earn a Masters degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. After raising their family in New Jersey and retiring from their careers there, Beth and Jack moved to Cape Cod and owned and operated the Liberty Hill Inn for 14 years. Beth and Jack were active and devout members of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and then Our Lady of the Cape Church in Brewster when they moved to Cape Cod. Beth’s strong Faith was the source of her strength and calm, on which her family often relied.

Beth had many careers and passions. She was a teacher, a Graduate School Admissions Counselor, and an actress with a lifelong love of theater. After Beth and Jack moved to Cape Cod, and while running the Inn, Beth authored the Cape Cod Bed & Breakfast Guide & Innkeepers Recipes, was elected to multiple terms on the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School Committee, including serving as Chair, and became an active member of the local branch of the American Association of University Women, fund-raising to provide scholarships for women to attend college and leading the AAUW Cape Cod theater interest group. Beth also volunteered with the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth and the Bangs Hallett House, wrote newsletters for the local Parkinson’s Support group, and even resumed acting classes in her 70s. In everything she did, Beth developed close friends whom she cherished.

After Jack died, Beth moved to Kings Way in Yarmouthport, and then to Heatherwood at Kings Way. Beth relished the community and her friends (both old and new) at Heatherwood. She loved the cocktail parties, playing Scrabble, learning mah-jongg, performing in the Follies, and getting together with her friends any time she could. Beth was a wonderful storyteller, had a keen sense of humor, and her sharp mind kept her reading mysteries and solving crossword puzzles up to her final days.

With all of Beth’s many interests, her most beloved role was as a mother. She was role model and a constant source of strength, comfort, and support to her three daughters. Beth loved when “her girls” and their families were all together. She never ended a visit or call with her family without telling them she loved them.

We will miss her loving spirit, her beautiful smile, her warmth, her sweetness, her laughter, and most especially, her unwavering love and support.

With STRICT adherence to COVID-19 health precautions and social distancing rules, family and friends are invited to pay their respects on Thursday, July 23 2020 from 9:00 am -10:30 am at Doane, Beal and Ames, 729 Route 134, South Dennis, MA 02660. A Funeral mass will follow 11 am at Our Lady of the Cape, 468 Stony Brook Rd, Brewster, MA 02631. Beth will be laid to rest at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Brookfield, MA.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Beth's Memory to either the MA branch of the American Parkinson's Disease Association

https://www.apdaparkinson.org/community/massachusetts/ways-to-give-ma/ or to AAUW https://ww2.aauw.org/donate-gift-new/