Audrey Alice Kilbourne Flanagan

NAPLES, Fla. – Audrey Alice Kilbourne Flanagan, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, passed away on June 25, 2025, in Naples, Fla. at 88 years old.

Audrey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1937 to Dr. Frederick L. Kilbourne Jr., a PhD in chemistry from MIT, and Pearl (Smith) Kilbourne, a talented painter and RISD graduate. Her family, including siblings Carol and Dick, eventually settled on Long Island Sound in the town of Woodmont, Connecticut, and Audrey graduated with honors from Milford High School in 1955.

That fall, she attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she studied chemistry and met Ralph R. Davis. They married in 1957 and raised four children, mostly in Lewiston where Ralph was the Associate, then the Dean of Admissions at Bates College. Though a mother with very young children, Audrey was determined to continue her education. She attended the University of New Hampshire and Clark University, and graduated from Nasson College in Springvale, Maine, in 1967.

Audrey’s career in education began in 1969 when she started teaching in the Lewiston school system. She adopted progressive educational methods and was the first in Lewiston to have an open classroom. One of her passions was to foster reading, with bean bag chairs and a classroom library, irresistible to students. Audrey continued to inspire students and colleagues until her retirement in 1994.

In 1982, Audrey married Jim (James) Flanagan and suddenly had a blended family with seven children. When most of the kids were grown, Audrey and Jim made their home on Thompson Lake in Casco, Maine, where they hosted huge family gatherings and grandkids learned to swim. They also bought a condo in Naples, Fla., where they developed a wonderful, supportive community.

Audrey and Jim had an extraordinary relationship of 45 years (1980-2025). Not only did they see their children into adulthood, and nurture the grandchildren, they also hiked, biked, skied, camped, traveled to Europe and enjoyed deep friendships.

Audrey had a great love for all her children and grandchildren. Over time, she made a personalized quilt or other creative gift for each of them. Jim’s kids Erin and Kelly, and her daughter Emily have gone on to become amazing quilters themselves. They made a most beautiful quilt for Audrey which kept her wrapped in love to the very end. Each and every grandchild had a personal relationship with Audrey, and has stories to tell: Evan, Neil, Gwen, Chance, Emily, Jimmy, Linnea, Emma, Aine, Maeve, Theseus, Sarah and Anne. Each was uniquely special to Audrey.

Audrey never missed a chance to travel for a recital, sporting event, or family milestone. She usually watched her son Glenn (with wife Janet and daughter Emma) in several Nutcracker performances each season for decades. She encouraged her children to live their dreams, knowing that each of them had the strength and talent to make those dreams real. Audrey had an unconditional positive regard for everyone she met.

A gifted artist, Audrey excelled in watercolor painting and basket weaving. Her creativity even extended to genealogy, where she meticulously traced and preserved her family’s history, traveling to Sweden to find relatives. She was the heart of the family, organizing reunions, celebrations, and gatherings that kept generations of a blended family connected.

Audrey had a great gift for friendship. In Florida she swam with the Waterlilies, her water aerobics group. Pat and John Ewers, Terry and Liz Hyett, Nancy Cassidy, and Judy Kohlmenn were close friends. Several of these folks regularly visited Audrey at Kiva, an Advanced Alzheimer’s Care Unit that she entered in early March 2024. Her best friends in Maine, with whom she enjoyed activities for many years, include Dot Rupert, Ruth Leahey, Penny Goodwin, Carol Pettinelli, Carol and Jack Flynn, Eileen and Elwyn Guthery, Bev and Will Calendar, and their Lewiston neighbors Phil and Helen Archambault.

Audrey was predeceased by her sister Dr. Carol Kilbourne Wagner (Dick Wagner) and brother Dr. Dick Kilbourne. She is survived by her children and stepchildren, Debbe Davis of South Portland, David Davis of Los Angeles, Calif., Ralph Davis of Portland, Glenn Davis of Windham, Kelly Flanagan of Portland, Todd Flanagan of Milford, Mass. and Erin Flanagan of Hadley, Mass., all of their partners, and by her brother’s wife Lonnie. Audrey leaves behind 13 cherished grandchildren (named above) and two great-grandchildren (Maddie and Henry). Audrey was also a beloved second mother to her nieces Dr. Hali Kilbourne, Holly Lura, Kathy Ostergard, her nephew Paul Sauers, and a loving presence for their partners and children.

Like her artistic quilts, Audrey’s life was a beautiful tapestry of strength, love, creativity, and devotion. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched with her warmth, her art, and her unwavering commitment to family.

In honor of Audrey, go into nature, be still and see what happens, be extra kind to a person or animal, pray, meditate, protect our planet, learn something new, bake a strawberry-rhubarb pie…and think of her.

A celebration of Audrey’s life will be held at a later date.