Cathy Flannery
Cathy Flannery, age 82, of Watertown, South Dakota, formerly of Sleepy Eye, died on Aug. 27, 2022, at Avantara Watertown Assisted Living in Watertown.
Funeral Mass will be held at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Sleepy Eye, on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at 11 a.m.
Visitation will be on Saturday from 10-11 a.m. prior to the service in the North Entrance of the church..
The clergy will be Fr. Mark Steffl.
Interment will be at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Sleepy Eye.
Reception to follow the burial in the Social Room in the lower level of the church.
Arrangements are with the Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.
Catherine Flannery of Watertown, S.D., enjoyed a long and lovely life. Most recently, she and her husband, Paul Flannery, had returned to the Midwest after spending their retirement years in Weslaco, Texas. While in Weslaco, Cathy was a longtime member of the local Sweet Adelines, an international singing group. She loved bringing joy to people through song. She also loved dancing and the theater. Paul and Cathy first met when they were both members of the Notables, a singing group in New Ulm, Minnesota. They were married in August of 1999. Together, they shared a life full of friends, family and joy.
Cathy’s story started in Sherwood, Wisconsin, in 1940, where she was born the second of two daughters to James and Mary Hallett. Cathy spent the majority of her childhood years in Mankato, Minnesota, and graduated from Mankato State University as an English major. Following college, she and her husband, Paul Stadick, raised two daughters and ran the Rexall drugstore in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. She was an active member of the Sleepy Eye community and served in various volunteer capacities, with organizations such as the hospital auxiliary and Chamber of Commerce committees. She was a member of St. Mary’s parish, and she treasured friendships with her neighbors on 3rd Avenue NW, especially fellow Irish woman, Betty Heymans. Following Paul Stadick’s death, Cathy was married to Patrick Hennessy for several years before Patrick’s death.
Always one to look for beauty in the world, Cathy appreciated a stylish hat, a good book, a lively discussion, a tube of bright red lipstick, and small acts of kindness.
Cathy is survived by her husband, Paul; daughters and sons-in-law Ann (Stadick) and Scott Thorson and Mary (Stadick) and Jeff Smith; sister, Colleen Whyte; Paul’s children, Pam, Peter and Paulette and their spouses; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Special shout-out to Cathy’s granddaughter and kindred spirit, Sydney, a television reporter in Rapid City. In her last years, Cathy looked forward to seeing Sydney daily on the local news.

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