Falmouth, Maine —
Dee lived a long, full 91 years. Born in Holyoke, Mass. to Thomas Flynn and Pauline McCleary Flynn, she was orphaned at age seven along with her sister Trude, then nine, when both parents passed within two years of each other. The sisters then grew up together at Our Lady of the Elms, a Catholic boarding school, following which both girls went on to college, with Dee graduating from Mount Holyoke College at age 20.
Her first career job was as a high school English teacher in West Lebanon, N.H., in the year following the end of WWII. Soon after her arrival she met and fell madly in love with a young local war-hero, Bud Caswell. She stayed at Lebanon High School her entire teaching career, moving from teaching English to French, Latin and then Spanish. Her family often kidded her that they had no confidence she was versed in any of these languages. Of course this was largely because they had no fluency in anything besides English, and even that was suspect. Along the way she acquired her Master’s degree from Dartmouth College. Bud passed away early, at age 57 and Dee never remarried.
When she retired from Lebanon High School, she moved to Greenville, Maine. The town may have seemed an odd choice for someone who loved theater and the arts in general – not exactly what Greenville is known for. However, this put her in the same town as daughter Candace and her family, and at least in the same state as son Greg and his, and she embraced life in Greenville, including volunteer work. In her later years she enjoyed traveling to Elder Hostels, sometimes with her dear friend Louise Rackley, and loved reading and writing poetry. Back in the day Dee enjoyed dancing with Bud and hosting football game parties at their home. In her later years, she especially enjoyed spending time with Candace and Greg and their children, and always participated in the family football Survivor pool (and was considered easy money).
Dee, like her sister Trude who so unfortunately predeceased her by way too many years, was known for her acerbic humor. Unfortunately for those that know her family and extended family, most of them either inherited or somehow acquired this same questionable trait from the two sisters. At the time of her passing she was surrounded by family and loved ones, something she always wanted after being orphaned so young. Dee was a strong, independent, smart, fun woman. She will be missed – hugely – but then again, she will always be with us, and us with her.
Dee leaves behind daughter, Candace Morrell and her husband, John Morrell, of Greenville; their son, Matthew and his wife, Colleen, and their, daughter Moira, of Seattle; son Greg Caswell, his wife Alison, and their two sons, Tom and Michael, of Falmouth.
A mass will be held in Greenville at the Holy Family Catholic Church on Saturday, April 2 at 11 a.m., followed by a reception at Di’s. As she certainly would have wanted, wine will be served and the pours will be generous.