Joseph T. Flaherty passed peacefully at home on December 24th, 2018 at 89 years old.
Loving Husband of Margaret (nee Begley).
Beloved Dad of Michael (Carol), Patrick (Lisa) and Peggy Ann Volk (Edward). Wonderful Grandfather to Sean, Katy, Lisa Marie, Tracy, Timothy, Andrew, Maggie and Great Grand Father to Lucy Mae.
A funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, January 2nd 2019 at St Stanislaus Church on 51 Lansdale Avenue, Lansdale PA 19446 at 11am. Relatives and friends are invited to Joe’s Visitation from 9:30m till 11:00am at the church. Internment will be at Saint John Neumann Cemetery, Chalfont PA.
What is the measure of a man?
Is it his social status, is it the value of a his bank account, is it the accumulation of his personal possessions? While these things are considered the measuring sticks in our daily existence, they don’t fulfill the core quest of our lives – to find a lifelong propose, to find a spiritual peace, a balance in our daily lives between the grind and the desire to make a difference, to have an influence, to leave some legacy that exists beyond the scope of our earthly lives.
Dad knew that the truest legacy that we can leave behind is your family and the memories you have created in all the people that you have touched in the course of your life. Like in the old Jimmy Stewart movie, “It’s a wonderful life” – we find that in the end – we are all part of each other and that our lives touch and intersect and that we change each other in ways that we cannot imagine.
As a young man, Dad’s father had moved away and left his life entirely. It’s almost impossible to imagine how that must have felt or the emotional void that it left in Dad’s life, but no matter the personal cost – Dad made sure that HE would be the Father he never really had – to lead his ever expanding family through love, kindness and empathy.
Joseph Flaherty was an uncommon man. He was a proud Falconer from North East Catholic HS. He was promoted to Corporal while serving in the Army (47thInfantry Div.) during the Korean War. He studied undergrad at LaSalle and while in college on the GI bill, he worked, married Mom and started his family. He went on to obtain his Master’s at Temple. He is the author and editor of the History of St. Stanislaus. He was an usher for 50 years and you could count on him every Sunday. Dad was a teacher, a progressive, a conservative, an idealist and a pragmatist, but most of all, Dad lived his life by a moral code that he embraced – to honor his family, God & country.
Dad did his best impart his wisdom to his children and like all children we did not always pay attention – but it is safe to say that we do share his love of reading, interest in American history, the love of travel, the importance of civic duty, to respect different opinions and to be able to agree to disagree – As Dad once said – no one is always right nor always wrong, and while no one has all the answers we must never stop trying to find them – truth is the essence of our lives, Dad taught us to seek the truth.
We all have wonderful and precious memories of Joseph Flaherty – from playing Santa at Christmas, to teaching us to ride bikes, there were swimming games at the pool, jumping the waves at the shore, Sunday afternoon car rides to visit family or going on a picnic, always listening to the Eagles games on the radio hoping for a win, taking us sledding or ice skating when it snowed, going to see a fireworks or air show, trips to an amusement park – all the precious little moments where Dad shared his time & love with us – it could have been as simple as a trip to the local hardware store for one of Dad’s many projects, and regardless of whatever the event was we loved to go with him, just so we could spend time with our family hero
I ask you now to think of the memories that you may have of Joseph and hope that they bring a smile to your face.
Is it fitting that we are celebrating Dad/Grand Dad and Great Grand Dad’s life today, at the beginning of a New Year – it fulfills his desire to always look forward, to see the hope and promise of a new day and New Year. Dad was always at his happiest when simply surrounded by his family and while we can not accompany him at this time, we wish him Godspeed on this new phase of his Life, with the sincerest desire that Dad is at peace, comforted by his family that has proceeded him, knowing that he lived his life as a good man, that his family loved him, that his legacy will live in us all and that Our Lord Jesus, Blessed Mother and Dear St Joseph have welcomed him into the Kingdom of Heaven to be embraced by the everlasting Love of the Holy Family.