Flanagan, 59, killed in East Tremont Ave. car accident
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
A Throggs Neck woman was
killed late last month by a vehicular
accident on East Tremont Avenue.
On the evening of Monday, February
24, at approximately 7:08
p.m., Mary Flanagan was struck
by a sedan while she was crossing
eastbound at the Sampson Avenue
and East Tremont Avenue intersection.
She was discovered by EMS,
both unconscious and unresponsive,
with trauma to the head,
before she was transported to
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi,
where she was later pronounced
deceased.
Further investigation conducted
by the NYPD Highway
District’s Collision revealed that
a 2009 Mazda 3 traveling southbound
on East Tremont Avenue
hit her. The operator of the vehicle
remained at the scene.
Flanagan was born on October
13, 1960 and attended Preston
High School in the mid to late
1970s. She lived at 2917 Milton Avenue.
“She was a very kind, good
hearted person who always
helped others,” said Diane Dougherty,
a former Throggs Neck resident
and member of St. Benedict’s
Church who knew Flanagan for
the better part of 25 years.
Flanagan was a long-tenured
parishioner at St. Benedict’s
Church. According to Dougherty,
who often congregated with other
church members and residents
outside the church after service.
Mary was also an animal
rights activist who worked with
pet shelters and was involved in
the Humane Society located on
East 59th Street.
“Her loss is very sad – especially
considering that she was so
dedicated to helping the community,”
said co-founder of the Bronx
Animal Shelter Endeavor Donna
Dechiaro, who didn’t know Mary
personally but knew of her work
and heard about the tragedy.
“It’s a big loss and (our) hearts
go out to Mary’s family and
friends,” Dechiaro added. “It was
obvious that she did good work
and was very appreciated in the
community.” She also worked at
JCPenney at the Mall at Bay Plaza
in Baychester.
“She was most certainly the
church-going type – and it’s such
a shame that such a kind individual
could go in such a tragic way,”
Dougherty added.
Preston High School is currently
planning a plaque or monument
to commemorate Flanagan’s
life and devotion to the community
. Others who knew Mary described
her as a ‘sweet soul’ who
had a ‘beautiful smile’ and ‘gentle
ways’ about her.
“Mary was a sweet, wonderful,
gentle woman who cared about
others and was very faithful to us
here,” said Father Stephen Norton
from St. Benedict’s Church,
who knew Mary for over 30 years.
“You don’t meet people like Mary
very often – she was just a loving,
kind-hearted individual. I don’t
remember her ever swearing or
even yelling at anyone.”
Father Norton recalled a time
when Flanagan had planted fl owers
in her yard, but had extra fl owers.
She had asked Norton if she
could plant the remaining fl owers
outside of St. Benedict’s, to which
he said, “of course!”
Flanagan also participated in
the church’s Secret Santa each
year along with other holiday traditions.
Mary never married, but is
survived by her sister Elizabeth
who lives in upstate New York.
Elizabeth set up the funeral
Mass for Flanagan, which was attended
by a few hundred people. It
was held on Monday, March 2 at
St. Benedict’s Church, after visitation
services at Schuyler Hill
Funeral Home.
Flanagan was interred at Gate
of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne,
NY, with her parents.
www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY March 22, 2020 6
Flanagan, who was beloved in the Throggs Neck community, passed away at age
59. Photo Photo courtesy of Schuyler Hill Funeral Home
Colleges, universities respond to COVID-19; close campuses
BY KYLE VUILLE
Major Bronx learning institutions
are closing their doors and
fi nding ways to continue operationing
remotely in the midst of the
world-wide pandemic, COVID-19,
As of March 16, all local four-year
colleges and universities including
Lehman, Mercy, Metropolitan,
Manhattan College, Mount St. Vincent,
Fordham, and SUNYMaritime
have cancelled their normal classes
and have or are moving towards online
classes.
According to Maritime College’s
website, students have been told to
move out of their dorms and wait
further instruction.
Part of the President Michael
Alfultis’s announcement read: “All
students will move out of the dorms,
commencing Tuesday, March 17 according
to the below schedule. All
students must properly check out of
the dorms with housing in order to
be eligible for any future credit or refund.
Further details on a refund/
credit policy will be forthcoming.”
The president of Fordham University,
Joseph M. McShane, suspended
in-person classes and also
released this statement: “Effective
immediately, all on-campus university
events are canceled at least
through March 29.
“This includes outside organizers
renting space at Fordham, and
Fordham events at off-campus venues
in New York City. Some of these
events may be rescheduled; organizers
will reach out to the University
Community when they have more
information about their specifi c
event. The only exceptions to the
above are a limited number of intercollegiate
athletic events at which
only the athletes and coaches may
be present.”
Fordham’s president added in
the same announcement, Fordham
students studying aboard in Europe
are to return home despite quarantine
measures of other countries.
Mercy College has also cancelled
classes, events, and activities
through March 29. According to
Mercy’s website, a second individual
on campus has tested positive for the
virus.
The College of Mount St. Vincent
is taking a similar approach with
President Charles L. Flynn Jr. saying,
“All lecture/recitation sections
of classes will be meeting online until
further notice. Beginning March
23 (immediately following Spring
break), all lecture/recitation sections
of all classes will meet exclusively
... in synchronous (real time)
format, at their regularly scheduled
meeting times.”
However, Flynn Jr., like other
college presidents, are concerned
with how faculty and students will
continue in settings like clinical
labs where the hands-on experience
can not be duplicated or simulated
properly through an online course.
According to Flynn Jr’s. statement,
students participating in those
classes may experience an extended
semester.
Metropolitan College of New
York has taken a similar approack,
switching over to online classes
this past week and will continue
to do so until further notice. President
Joanne Passaro announced
the school will assess the situation
the week of March 23rd to decide
whether online classes will continue
through the semester.
Lehman College is no different,
classes were cancelled for the past
week with online teaching commencing
this past Thursday. President
Daniel Lemons also announced
in the March 16 update, a student
has tested positive for COVID-19.
Lemons added the campus will
remain open with modifi ed hours
for services and resources such as
the cafeteria and library.
All two-year community colleges
have also closed till further notice.
Posters and notices at Hostos Community College warning about Coronavirus
and the preventative measures to take to stop the spread of germs. Schneps Media
/ Kyle Vuille
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