Writer,

Biographer, Memoirist,

Family Historian & Legacy Scribe

Miss Mary Loretto Flynn’s life story is the subject of my historical novel, Ordinary Mary. My great aunt, Mary Loretto, considered herself ordinary and she was anything but!

She left a significant mark on Pembroke, Ontario, and Canada yet no one has told her story. Her fascinating life reflects the very early years of female empowerment as she lives through the First World War, The Great Depression, and the Second World War. She was born in Lowertown, Ottawa in 1904 and died 73 years later in Pembroke in 1977, having been the north star for many.

My full name is Mary Kathryn Flynn, and I am the grandniece of Miss Mary Loretto Flynn. My family lived all over Canada during the years between my birth and her death so as a result I had never met her. I became deeply curious about her, though, when I moved to Ottawa to raise a family in 1988.

Once Ottawa Valley people knew my name, they would ask, “Are you related to Mary Flynn from Pembroke?”. After my affirmative yet vague shrug, their emotion was hard to mask as they regaled stories of Mary Flynn and the effect she had on them and their families’ lives.

In piecing together Mary’s life for my book, I’ve uncovered secrets, motivations, photos, belongings, and family stories that will shed much light on Mary and what made her tick. Join me as I delve into her family history, the losses that led to her extraordinary life and how she helped to lead the way for women today. I’ll also reveal how learning about her has, in turn, helped me to live the life I was born to live.

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