Caroline Marie Flanagan

Caroline Marie Flanagan – beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend – died Sunday, June 1, 2025, of pancreatic cancer. 

She was 86, and a resident of Milliken since 2001. 

Visitation is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2025, at Adamson Life Celebration Home, 2000 47th Ave., Greeley, CO 80634. 

A funeral mass is scheduled at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1000 Country Acres Drive, Johnstown, CO 80534. Interment is planned at Johnstown Cemetery. 

She was born Caroline Marie Horinek on Dec. 8, 1938, in Rawlins County, Kansas, the second of Bernard J. and Martha F. Horinek’s nine children. 

She grew up on the family farm north of Atwood, Kan., where she learned hard work at an early age and was involved in 4H. She attended class in a one-room country school through eighth grade, then graduated from Atwood Community High School in May 1957. 

After graduating from trade school in Omaha, Neb., in April 1958, she moved to Denver to work as a teletypist for United Airlines. It was in Denver that she met Richard Joseph “Dick” Flanagan, who was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base. 

They were married at Saints Cyril and Methodius Church outside Atwood on April 4, 1959. 

They eventually settled in the Denver area, where she worked at nursing homes and also helped with the family business, Sewing Service Co. of Colorado. Her most important job, however, was managing the controlled chaos of raising six children. 

She enjoyed sewing, quilting, gardening, camping, hiking, and cooking – especially baking. There was often a fresh pie on her kitchen counter, and when she knew people were coming to visit, she’d prepare a tray of kolaches. 

In addition to her husband, Dick Flanagan, of Milliken, she is survived by six children and their spouses: James A. Flanagan of Greeley; Richard A. and Kerrie Flanagan of Fort Collins; Robert J. and Bobbie Flanagan of Parker; Colleen M. and Kevin Vaughan of Thornton; Cynthia E. and Barry Hultgren of Windsor; and Kenneth M. and Jennifer Flanagan of Loveland. 

She is also survived by 17 grandchildren: Richard E. Flanagan and his fiancée, Rejena Carmichael of Lakewood; Kassy Schneider and her husband, Mike, of Parker; Chelsie Bebensee and her husband, Casey, of Kearney, Neb.; Jordan Flanagan of Seattle, Wash.; Chad Flanagan and his wife, Emmylou, of Lincoln, Neb.; Forrest Vaughan and his wife, Taylor, of Thornton; Andrea Hultgren of Austin, Texas; Shala Mitchell and her husband, Nate, of Tea, S.D.; Allison Flanagan and her fiancée, Barry DeRose, of Morgantown, W.V.; Morgan Vaughan of Thornton; Andrew Flanagan of Severance; Lucas Hultgren of Fort Collins; Laney Flangan and her wife, Hayley Munoz, of Fort Collins; Sawyer Vaughan and his fiancée, Giulia Klein, of London; Titus Hultgren, of Johns Island, S.C.; Jacob Flanagan and his wife, Brittany, of Evans; and Ian Flanagan of Cheyenne, Wyo. 

Other survivors include 14 great-grandchildren, eight siblings, and numerous nieces and nephews. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Cancer Society.