Patricia Elizabeth Flanagan

When Minnesota lawmakers were considering raising the minimum wage in the spring of 2014, Patricia Flanagan received a call one night from her daughter who was working with several organizations to see the measure through. A lesser deal was being discussed, and daughter Peggy was calling to lament what seemed like a loss. You can't give up, Patricia retorted. Thousands of people are counting on you, she said, while also adding she wished she'd had someone like her daughter advocating for people like her when she was younger. The next day, the coalition of organizations doubled down on trying to pass something more robust, which is what happened. Patricia's pep talk - from the perspective of a woman who had struggled to raise a daughter by herself and utilized state programs to help make things just a little better - can be listed as one of the many moving parts that won the day. Patricia Flanagan (née Hartmann) died on Nov. 18 at the age of 72. Preceded in death by parents Mary and John, along with sister Peg, Patricia is survived by daughter Peggy (Tom) and granddaughter Siobhan, sisters Mary (Billie) & Kathy, nieces & nephews David (Lisette), Molly (Annie), Misha (Nechama), and Julie, as well as several grand-nieces & grand-nephews. A devoted Matthew 25 Catholic and DFLer, Patricia understood and lived the interconnectedness of being both - of doing the work that good Catholics and DFLers do to advance social justice and work to help the least of these. After graduating from St. Margaret's Academy, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work on the Hubert H. Humphrey campaign for president in 1968. Her mother and sisters had all worked for Humphrey in one capacity or another - mother Mary was one of the few women who was part of the deliberations that led to the creation of the DFL party in the 1940s. When her only child was born, Patricia dedicated herself to caring for their family and raising a strong, resilient daughter. It was difficult. Food wasn't always readily available in their small apartment in St. Louis Park, but little Peggy always ate first. And thanks to programs such as Medicaid, Child Care Assistance, free/reduced school lunches, and the Minnesota Family Investment Program, Patricia was always able to provide just enough as a single mom, and later was able to go back to school to earn a professional certificate at St. Catherine's University. From there, she spent many years providing famously gentle and compassionate care as a phlebotomist, mostly at Abbott-Northwestern, Midway (her favorite place she ever worked), and Methodist hospitals. From making extra efforts at the end of a long day of work to play with Peggy to adopting dogs and playing music, Patricia always found ways to bring love into her small home. But single moms couldn't always find a babysitter, so young Peggy was brought along with mom and Patricia's sister Peg, gaining a healthy dose of Neil Diamond and Kenny Rogers concerts in her youth. After a run of serious illness in the early 2010s that some thought she might not survive, the birth of Patricia's only granddaughter, Siobhan, seemed to spark a rebound that brought about an impressive recovery - impressive enough for Pat to be present for that 2014 call about not giving up. As daughter Peggy's career advanced into elective office, the spirit of Pat Flanagan's life and values inspired many of the priorities of the state's administration in recent years, from increasing the Minnesota Family Investment Program to expanding the Child Care Assistance Program. Her legacy will live on, in part, in the work the state has and will do to help bring a little more Matthew 25 to Minnesota. Funeral mass and visitation, Sat. 11/26, Church of the Ascension, 1723 N. Bryant Av, Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, please support Pat's favorite cause for social justice, the Minnesota DFL Party, or donate to Union Gospel Mission, St. Paul. Washburn-McReavy Strobeck-Johnson chapel 952-938-9020

Tributes

Patricia Elizabeth Flanagan

July 5, 1950 - November 18, 2022

Tributes

Patricia Elizabeth Flanagan

July 5, 1950 - November 18, 2022

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