Maureen T. Flannery, 51, real estate agent, Mayfair civic leader

Maureen T. Flannery was a former star athlete who loved her career as a real estate agent, loved helping people, and loved taking part in Mayfair neighborhood activities.

She was a block captain and a member of the Mayfair Civic Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary Club. She also participated in the Mayfair Parade every Thanksgiving, said her brother, Daniel M. Flannery.

"She was vivacious. She never met anyone she didn't like," her brother said. "She could always find something good about everyone she talked to.

"She had a way of finding people's strengths and celebrating them. She had a lot of friends."

Ms. Flannery, 51, died Tuesday, Dec. 20, of cancer at her home, in hospice care, surrounded by family and friends.

She was born Oct. 20, 1965, in Bryn Mawr, to Daniel J. Flannery and the late Helen T. (Downs) Flannery. She was the oldest of three children and grew up in Bensalem.

Ms. Flannery was a 1983 graduate of Bishop Conwell High School, where she was a star on the softball team. The team went to the Philadelphia Catholic League championships four years in a row and won the championship three of those years. She was also a member of the varsity cross-country team.

In her senior year, she was named Miss Conwell, a title that went to the school's top scholar-athlete.

At Millersville University, Ms. Flannery played on the varsity softball team and graduated with a degree in business administration in 1988.

Her athletic involvement continued in adult league softball and long-distance bike rides.

On her 50th birthday in October 2015, after she thought she'd defeated the cancer she had been fighting for about a year, Ms. Flannery was excited to tell her brother she had hit a home run in a game.

"She called me on the phone and said, 'Dan, you're not going to believe it. I hit a home run on my birthday! I hit it over the fence,' " Daniel Flannery said.

"It made her feel like she was back. She was a strong person who everyone could depend on."

But only a month or two later, he said, she learned that the cancer had returned.

"She hated having cancer because it meant she couldn't do all the things she wanted to do, like playing softball and taking long bike rides," he said.

After working as a restaurant manager and later as a manager for an industrial lighting manufacturer, she became a real estate agent for the last 12 years of her life, her brother said.

"She loved working with people," her brother said. "She loved helping them. She would go out of her way, even helping some people find a part-time job so they could qualify for a loan."

Ms. Flannery was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 39. She served for many years as the Democratic judge of elections at the Abraham Lincoln High School polling place.

She was inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt, Pope Francis, and Hillary Clinton, and she loved the music of Indigo Girls, the Talking Heads, and the Grateful Dead.

In addition to her father and brother, Ms. Flannery is survived by her wife, Carolyn Dewey Dignam; a sister; and 12 nieces and nephews.

Viewings will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 26, and 8 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, at the John J. Fluehr & Sons Funeral Home, 3301 Cottman Ave. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, at St. Dominic's Church, 8504 Frankford Ave.

Interment will be at Magnolia Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Pennsylvania SPCA, 350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia 19134.

russv@phillynews.com