Thomas Flynn Obituary

Thomas Flynn
Thomas Garrett Flynn, MD, Dr. Thomas G. Flynn, 96, of New Canaan, Connecticut passed away peacefully on February 21, 2026, with family by his side. He was born December 5, 1929, in Boston, Massachusetts to the late William and Evelyn Flynn. Tom was the second of six children. His father's career took the family from Boston to Providence, Rhode Island and then to Westfield and North Andover, Massachusetts. Tom's formative years were in Westfield, where he enjoyed playing sports - especially baseball - and excelled in school. His father carried a newspaper clipping in his wallet describing the day Tom both pitched a no-hitter and was named class valedictorian. He graduated from St. Mary's High School in Westfield in 1947 and was a 1951 cum laude graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, Tom served in the United States Navy as a midshipman from 1948 to 1952 while in Holy Cross' ROTC Program, and as an officer from 1952 to 1955. His service took him to ports around the world on a battleship, a heavy cruiser, and a destroyer escort. After the Navy, Tom moved to Washington DC to attend medical school at Georgetown University. In the summer of 1957, he met the love of his life Elizabeth (Betty) Belson. They were married a year later. In the summer of 1959, Tom graduated from Georgetown, having served as President of the Student Medical Association and been elected a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. His medical training included an internship at the Mary Imogene Basset Hospital in Cooperstown, New York and a pediatric residency and fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1963 the family - now with four young sons - moved to New Canaan where Tom began his 31-year pediatric practice with the New Canaan Medical Group.
Medicine was Tom's vocation and he loved his work. He considered himself fortunate beyond measure to care for the many families in his practice and to work alongside great medical professionals. During his practice and retirement, he served as a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine and trained residents at Yale University Hospital. In the early 1970's, to address serious injuries in sports, especially heat-related injuries, he organized symposiums to teach coaches and trainers about the new prevention and treatment theories still practiced today. Physicians in other states followed his model, and he was invited to serve on the American Academy of Pediatrics Sports Medicine Counsel. Tom and Betty's deep Catholic faith guided their lives. All nine of their children attended St. Aloysius School and went on to Catholic high school and colleges. Tom served for many years as a Eucharistic Minister and provided pastoral care to several local hospitals and senior care centers. He also chaired the committee for the Diocese of Bridgeport's annual White Mass for medical professionals. In 1992, Tom and Betty joined the Knights of Malta. They acted as co-Hospitallers, coordinating the Knights' many charitable projects in Connecticut. Tom had a strong desire to help the less fortunate in other parts of the world and the opportunity came when he retired from practice in 1994. He worked with the Catholic Medical Mission Board and Americares, traveling to Armenia, Honduras and Cuba. In 1995, Tom and Betty started volunteering at Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot, Haiti. From 1996 to 2012 he was a member of the board of the CRUDEM Foundation (now "Haiti Health Promise") that operates the hospital and was its President from 2003 to 2006. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the hospital quickly expanded from 70 to 400 beds and five operating rooms. At 80 years of age, Tom returned to the hospital to coordinate NGO and medical volunteers to provide the best care possible to the 1,000 earthquake victims transported from Port Au Prince. Among many honors, Tom received the inaugural Donald Cameron Award for Human Kindness (1980), Moffly Media's Light a Fire Award (2011), and the New Canaan Community Foundation's Spirit of New Canaan Award (2015). In accepting the Light of Fire Award, Dr. Flynn shared that: "When I left Johns Hopkins for New Canaan, … I vowed to one day serve in a Third World country as payback for the many blessings I have received." He kept that vow, in gratitude to God, for all he received before and after he made it. He enjoyed gardening, golf, reading, and cheering for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He treasured his friendships throughout the years, including those made in the Senior Men's Club and his poker group, while his greatest joy and treasure was his family. Tom is survived by his children Tom Jr. (Lisa) of Katonah, NY; Bill (Marnie) of New Canaan; Jim (Young) of Redding; Rob of Middletown; Brian of Brookfield; Kathleen of McLean, VA; David (Yvette) of Wilton; Greg (Pam) of Trumbull; and Andrew (Ryoko) of Tokyo, Japan; along with 22 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his brother, the Honorable Terence Flynn of Little Silver, NJ. He was predeceased by his wife of 63 years Betty, his parents, four siblings, Barbara Kallaugher, Dr. William Flynn, Eleanor Reilly and Robert Flynn, and by his daughter-in-law, Karen Hobert Flynn (Rob). A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, 21 Cherry Street, New Canaan on Friday, March 6th at 11:00 a.m. Visiting hours will be held at Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main Street, New Canaan, on Thursday, March 5, from 4–7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Holy Name Foundation (Haiti Health Promise) https://crudem.org/you-can-help/give/ or to the charity of your choice. The Family is being compassionately cared for by the staff at Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main Street, New Canaan, CT 06840. For online condolences and directions, please visit www.hoytfuneralhome.com