Daniel Joseph Flannery

Frederick – Daniel Joseph Flannery, 90, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday, January 29 at Frederick Living in Frederick, Pennsylvania. Dan was a longtime resident of Bensalem, Pennsylvania and a longtime parishioner at St. Ephrem Church.

He was predeceased by his wife, Helen (née Downs), his daughter, Maureen, and his two sisters Catherine Beer and Margaret Flannery. He is survived by his brother, Joe, his son Daniel (Sara), his daughter Mary Helen Treible (Bob) and his two grandsons, Bobby Treible and Danny Flannery.

Dan was born in Jenkintown, PA on December 27, 1931, the son of Daniel Flannery of County Mayo, Ireland and Mary (née McCabe), whose mother was from County Mayo and whose father was from County Cavan, Ireland. Mary’s mother was Connie Mack’s cook at her residence near Shibe Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia A baseball teams.

Dan excelled in studies. He was a graduate of North Catholic High School (’49) and La Salle College (’53), where he studied economics.

He served four years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, then served six years in the USMC reserves. He retired as captain.

When he met his future wife, Helen Therese Downs, he was a route manager with United Parcel Service in Philadelphia. After they married in 1963, he was appointed North East Logistics Manager for Standard Brands, a food company. Dan and Helen welcomed their children, Maureen, Daniel and Mary Helen into the world and a series of promotions moved the family from King of Prussia, PA to Richardson, TX and then to Bolingbrooke, IL before finally returning to the area of Philadelphia. He traveled daily by train to Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York, so that his family could stay near Philadelphia. When Standard Brands merged with Nabisco and moved to Moorestown, NJ, it commuted two hours each way by car. He became National Director of Distribution for Nabisco Brands, a position he held until his retirement.

Dan’s wife Helen died in 1998, the same year Dan retired from Nabisco. Upon retirement, he continued many volunteer activities. He drives the elderly Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to their appointments. He cooked and delivered meals to people locked up. He wrote the newsletter and managed travel and finances for his widow/widower group, To Live Again.

He served his community in St. Ephrem’s Church during his 46 years as a parishioner. He taught CCD classes on Sundays for many years. He visited parish homes and raised funds for the Catholic Charity Appeal. He retired for many years with the Men of Malvern. He cooked meals for the less fortunate under the Aid for Friends program. He was also a member of the parish bowling league.

He was a proud lifelong Democrat.

He subscribes to the Courier Times, The Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Standard and Times, America and Commonweal.

He lived by the Latin motto of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales who taught him at North Catholic: “Tenui Nec Dimittam – Seize life and never let go.”

He loved taking his family to Avalon every summer. He had a Manhattan and a martini, in one order or the other. He loved classical music. He liked to watch the Phillies game on a Sunday and tinker in his garage while smoking his cigar. He enjoyed following the stock market and buying and selling stocks. He never missed an Eagles game. He liked to take his wife, Helen, for a drive just to see where the road would take them.

Relatives and friends are invited to his visit on Saturday February 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and a funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. The viewing and mass will be held at St. Ephrem Church, 5400 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA 19020. Masks are required inside the church. His burial will be in the cemetery of the resurrection in front of the Saint-Ephrem church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dan’s honor to the Catholic Charities Appeal on their website: catholiccharitiesappeal.org

Services are entrusted to Hoffmann-Meyers-Givnish Funeral Home, Bensalem, PA. Condolences can be made on their website: www.hmgfh.com