Barbara Marion Flanagan - February 23, 1939 -  September 13, 2017

Barb Flanagan was a Charter member of Orangeville Chorus and sang tenor. She was always there to lend a helping hand, serving on the board and several committees. Being a classy dresser with a flair for the flamboyant, it stood to reason that the costume team was one spot where she lent her expertise!

The very first Music School that the Orangeville Chorus attended was in Lake Placid, New York and the chorus chartered a bus to get there. Barb made some of the arrangements and so the bus was to leave from her home in Grand Valley about 6 am! We gathered at the Flanagan home just after 5 am where Barb had coffee on and plenty of food awaiting, to charge us up for the trip!

Barb’s husband George owned and operated Flanagan’s Tree Service and also kept horses. At Christmastime the horses pulled a sleigh (on a wagon if no snow) and the chorus enjoyed sleigh rides on their property. George also donated the sleigh and team several times for the chorus to participate in the Santa Claus Parade. The chorus wore red capes and Christmas carols filled the air as the big red sleigh made its way through Orangeville.

When the tornado went through Barb’s home town of Grand Valley in 1985, the chorus was asked to sing at a benefit. The date for this was immediately following a Music School where it seems the Saturday night party went on into the wee small hours. Some remember Barb as being one of those ‘night owls’ but, in spite of it all, the performance went off just fine.

After leaving her spot on the risers, Barb continued to support the chorus – attending shows and dress rehearsals for contest, and a recent performance at Montgomery Village where she lived following the death of her husband. She attended retiring director Pat Vipond’s celebration and the big smile on her face in the photo above that Leila Brown took that day says it all – “Live Love Laugh” – and she did. Barb’s laugh will continue to echo in our hearts, while her smile will find a place in our memory.

She put up a valiant battle with cancer and is now at peace.