Matthew J. Flanagan

Matthew John Flanagan of Audubon, PA and Westmont, NJ died peacefully July 25th after 94 years of life. He was a gentle soul, socially outgoing but emotionally reserved, and at heart he was an engineer who believed that we could solve problems and build a better world.

Matt was born in Camden, NJ and spent his childhood in Laurel Springs. He attended Camden Catholic High School where he was known as a "trig whiz", and then took his mathematical skills to Drexel University, where he studied civil engineering, played football and learned to sail. Matt didn't have to look for a job after graduation because the US Army sent him to Korea. He did not care for military life, but discovered that he did like life overseas.

After Korea, Matt returned to work in Philadelphia and New York, before heading to Vietnam and Thailand. In Thailand he met Donna Reilly, who he married two years later in Malaysia. Together they raised two children while living and working in Thailand, Washington (where Matt earned a Master's degree at Washington State University), New York, Rhode Island, American Samoa, Egypt, Trinidad, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In 1985 Matt's life took a fateful turn when a guard at the Sri Lanka presidential palace shot at his car, destroying his right eye and disfiguring his nose.

Matt and Donna divorced after 23 years of marriage and in the late 1980s Matt returned to the Philadelphia area where he worked on water supply and sewer systems for the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority. His passions included duplicate bridge, sailing on Chesapeake Bay, and social trail running with the Hash House Harriers. Matt's gunshot scars earned him the nickname "Target" with the Hash House Harriers, and he wore that name with pride, forming some of his closest friendships with fellow hashers.

Matt loved working and was very reluctant to retire, but at 85 he moved to the Shannondell retirement community in Audubon. He spent his final years enjoying social bridge, current events discussion groups, and listening to WHYY.

Matt is survived by his children, David and Laura and his grandchildren Ethan, Julian, Meredith and Arden. Matt welcomed the idea that friends might gather to remember him, but made it very clear that he did not want a funeral or any formally organized memorial service, so no such event is planned. Donations in Matt's memory may be made to an environmental organization of your choice, WHYY public radio or Holisticare Hospice.