Mary Ella Burney Flynn

Mary Ella Burney Flynn passed peacefully at home and entered the presence of the Lord on February 10, 2021. Mary was born on October 4, 1932, in Council, North Carolina to Frederick and Mary Burney, the sixth of 10 children. After high school, she attended college at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina where she earned her teaching degree and met the love of her life. After a two-year courtship, Mary and Jay were married.

Mary began her teaching career in her hometown in Bladen County, NC, where Mary and Jay welcomed their first son, Andre’ on Christmas Day in 1955. The U.S. Air Force sent them to Little Rock, Arkansas, and then Shreveport, Louisiana, where their three other children were born. Mary continued teaching in Arkansas and Louisiana. Following the birth of their fourth child, the family was transferred to Mt. Home, AFB in Idaho. While in Idaho and with Jay deployed to Vietnam, Mary continued teaching and raising their four young children on her own.

During the summer of 1967, the family made a second cross-country trip when the Air Force transferred them to Warner Robbins, AFB, in Georgia.  Mary continued her teaching career in Georgia. She was also active in the church and served as a Girl Scout leader for her girls’ Brownie Troop. In December of 1970, the family was transferred to Anchorage, Alaska; their last “change of station” with the Air Force.  In the fall of 1971, Mary secured her first teaching position in the Anchorage School District. The family settled into life in Alaska and in July of 1974, Jay retired from the Air Force. The family became active members in First American Baptist Church and Mary continued teaching in ASD. She enjoyed the primary grades and taught first grade and Modified Primary for several years. As Mary continued her teaching career, she also began studying for her Masters’ Degree. She managed to teach full time while raising a family and taking graduate courses and completed her master’s degree in Elementary Education. As her children were maturing and heading off to college, Mary was encouraged to become an administrator. She completed a second master’s degree in Elementary Administration and began her career as an elementary principal. Mary finished out her career as Principal of Chester Vally Elementary. She retired from the Anchorage School District in 1989, ending more than three decades as an educator. 

In November of 1989, Mary and Jay sold their home, packed up their motor home, and headed back to their beloved North Carolina. They settled into a pleasant routine in their rural community. Jay and Mary were very active in their church and community, serving on several boards and volunteering in the Senior Tarheel Legislature advocating on behalf of senior citizens. They were avid gardeners and grew a plethora of fruits and vegetables. They also enjoyed traveling around North and South Carolina exploring, visiting, and traveling with their large extended family on the East coast.  After 12 years in North Carolina and with all their grandchildren living in Alaska, Mary and Jay returned to Anchorage in the fall of 2001. They enjoyed being back in Alaska, experiencing life through the eyes of their grandchildren, and returning to active membership at First American Baptist Church, where Mary became a Deacon. Mary’s grandchildren benefited from her extensive career in education as she assisted in homeschooling them. Mary became Jay’s full-time caregiver as his health declined. When Jay passed in 2013, Mary had celebrated 58 years of marriage with Jay. Still a very active senior, Mary spent more time with family and friends and continued to be very active in her church; her retired teacher’s association, CARTA; the "Chester Valley Lunch Group"; and the Winsome Widows; all of which were intellectually stimulating as well as wonderful sources of encouragement and sweet fellowship. Mary passed peacefully at home surrounded by family and dear friends after a long battle with congestive heart failure, sideroblastic anemia, and myelodysplasia syndrome.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Everett M (Jay) Flynn; parents Fred and Mary Burney; siblings Joseph Burney, Naomi Hart, Ezell Seay, Samuel Burney, Alice Burney, Lillian Banks, Geraldine Washington, and James Burney. She is survived by her sister, Ruth Mims of Anchorage; son André Flynn of Portland, OR; Eyvette ("Angel") Flynn, Stephanie Taylor (Mike ), and Everett Flynn, all of Anchorage; step-daughter Velma Rae Tompkins (Larry) of Belleville, GA; grandchildren Jonathon, Michelle, Sarah, David (Tommi), and Steven Taylor; and numerous cousins, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews. 

A virtual and live celebration of life will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2021, at 3:00 pm., at the First American Baptist Church and via Zoom. Family and friends are being provided the Zoom information for the virtual service.  If you need information about the virtual Celebration of Life, it is available on the Events page of this website.  For access to these event details, please request the password by sending an email to gmmaflynn@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to First American Baptist Church, 1200 E. 27th Avenue, Anchorage, AK, 99503, in Mary’s honor. Mary will be interred alongside her beloved Jay at the Fort Richardson National Cemetery this summer.  Funeral arrangements by Witzleben Legacy Funeral Home.