TSandM -- Lynne Flaherty

[Rhone Man]

Most of the tributes here have talked about Lynne the diver, and her warm and inclusive online presence. I guess that is to be expected given where we are all posting. I only met Lynne (and Peter) once, a couple of years ago for lunch in Woodinville. What I hadn't appreciated (but should have guessed) is that the Lynne we all came to love on Scubaboard was just a mirror of a wonderful and giving person in real life.

In real life Lynne was an ER doctor. It is fair to surmise that for all the people she has helped and showed loving kindness to on a dive boat or on a message board, there are countless others whom she has helped and guided through trauma, injury and loss as just a routine part of her day. I recall her telling me that because she was older and didn't have kids of her own she was always happy to take the awkward shifts in ER, and leave the younger doctors with families to take off around weekends and holidays. I guess that is just who she was. Someone who always cared. Someone who always gave.

It is very tough to say goodbye to those who we love but will see no more. But we should try to remember how much they enriched our lives whilst they were with us. After a lifetime of helping others, Lynne is now at peace.

 

[KentFromPGH]

Peter:

My condolences. I always enjoyed reading TSandM's post here and hope you find peace and comfort during this time.

 

[Colliam7]

Peter,

Like several others, I just saw your post. And I, too, immediately scrolled to the Last post hoping to see a positive outcome, which was not there.

Like so many, many others, I am shocked, and cannot seem to find any meaningful words to express my feelings at this moment.

ScubaBoard has created a global scuba community, and Lynne’s loss literally is, and will long be, felt around the world. Our loss cannot compare to yours, nor is it mentioned as any suggestion of some consolation. But, it is nonetheless a fact: she touched many, many people across the globe – most of whom never had the opportunity to meet her in person - through her posts and her presence here.

 

[Coop42]

I've been away from the board for a few days, checked in today and my eye caught the words "TSandM -- Lynne Flaherty" on the main page threads notification screen - and when I saw it was in the "Passings" section, my mouth went dry.


I've been diving for +30 years, but only 'discovered' Scubaboard a couple of years ago, and started reading through the back threads.


It's an interesting thing to do. You start to pick out names, and understand (at a most superficial level, yes) some of the personalities. You see what they respond to, and more importantly, how they respond.


I always looked for Lynne's responses (which was probably why my eye caught here name in a place I didn't expect to see it) and always learned from them. Sometimes about diving, sometimes about life, sometimes about Lynne - often about all three. I enjoyed Lynne's posts and her sense of intelligence and decency - and I know I'll miss them in the future. She was someone I never met in person, but was someone I was privileged to meet online, and for that, I'm grateful.


Peter, I'm sorry for your loss, I wish you and your family all the best.

 

[oncor23]

So sorry to hear about your loss, Peter. I haven't spent much time on Scubaboard lately, but when I wanted to know about anything diving related, I regarded the comments of TSandM as gold...24 carat gold. Tragedies happen to the best of us...and she was certainly all of that. She will be greatly missed by everyone.

 

[Airleron]

Peter,

It's taken me a few days to come to terms with Lynne's passing and write this. I wish I had met her, as so many of us have stated. She had a certain calm, warm, inviting way of presenting her thoughts of diving and life in general. While everyone here will miss her terribly, you, her close friends and coworkers will bear the brunt of her absence. I hope that in some small part these messages from the Scubaboard community will console you and give you comfort. She was such a special person that made an entire global community come together to speak about her.

My thoughts are with you Peter.

Godspeed, Lynne. You were loved and will be missed. It was a privilege knowing you.

 

[KathyV]

Very nice article and photo in the Seattle Times:

Accomplished Woodinville diver missing off Cape Flattery | The Seattle Times

 

[Byte Me]

Peter,

Like several others, I just saw your post. And I, too, immediately scrolled to the Last post hoping to see a positive outcome, which was not there.

Like so many, many others, I am shocked, and cannot seem to find any meaningful words to express my feelings at this moment.

ScubaBoard has created a global scuba community, and Lynne’s loss literally is, and will long be, felt around the world. Our loss cannot compare to yours, nor is it mentioned as any suggestion of some consolation. But, it is nonetheless a fact: she touched many, many people across the globe – most of whom never had the opportunity to meet her in person - through her posts and her presence here.

My sentiments exactly. My heart goes out to you and am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Incident]

Wow. So sorry for your loss. If there is any silver lining at all, it can only be that she was doing something she was so obviously passionate about. Condolences.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Just heard. Can not believe it. Wonderful, wonderful human being. My most sincere regrets to all those near and dear to her - you must be legion. We will miss you Lynne.

Heartfelt Regards,
DSD