Dr. Robert E. Flynn, 83; led the Caritas Christi system

Even as he was leading the Caritas Christi Health Care system, Dr. Robert E. Flynn never forgot that his most important job was to provide respectful, personal care for those in need, colleagues say.

Whether he was teaching medical students at Tufts University or St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, or looking for ways to strengthen the local Catholic hospital system, his first concern was the dignity and health of the patient, they said.

"I remember one day a patient was running down the hall with his IV behind him. [Dr. Flynn] took him very gently and brought him back to bed," said longtime friend, colleague, and former student Dr. Michael Collins, chancellor of University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. "If a patient was disoriented, this giant of a man would sit and take their hand, no matter what else he had to do, no matter what meetings were on his schedule. It meant so much to him."

Dr. Flynn, an architect behind the Caritas Christi Health Care system and former chairman of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, died Sept. 3 at his Mattapoisett home of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 83.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Flynn watched with concern as a number of area Catholic hospitals struggled to stay afloat and realized that if they banded together they'd be able to provide better care, said Richard Doherty, who served as senior vice president of public affairs at Caritas while Dr. Flynn was president of the system.

"He had a vision before healthcare systems became vogue," he said. "He believed medicine was a mission and a ministry and not a business. In order to ensure the ministry going forward, he felt the best opportunity was to integrate [the hospitals]."

In 1985, Dr. Flynn's goal was realized and the Caritas system, which now includes a network of six hospitals, was established. He served as the system's president until 1994, when he became chairman, a position he held until he retired in 2000.

Born in Taunton, Dr. Flynn graduated from the original Monsignor Coyle High School in 1943. After serving in the Marine Corps during World War II, Dr. Flynn attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. During his first year, he met his future wife, Mary (Canney). They married upon his graduation in 1950. Having known since he was very young that he wanted to practice medicine, Dr. Flynn attended Tufts University and received his medical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, specializing in neurology.

Almost immediately after completing his residency, Dr. Flynn began working at St. Elizabeth's, where he spent most of his career. Once there, he quickly rose to the position of chief of neurology, and when the hospital's director of medicine, Frederick Stohlman, died in a plane crash in 1974, Dr. Flynn was asked to take his place.

At St. Elizabeth's, family and friends said Dr. Flynn's greatest joy was teaching the students from Tufts School of Medicine, which is affiliated with the hospital.

Collins said Dr. Flynn had a knack for instruction, always expecting the best from his students and quietly and respectfully correcting errors when necessary.

According to his relatives, it was with a certain personal sacrifice that Dr. Flynn took on more executive roles, as he was happiest when working with patients and students.

"Even though he missed the bedside, he knew that improving the whole way the system works ultimately improved care for all patients," said his daughter Sheila of Mattapoisett. "He missed the beauty and science of medicine, but he had this concept of doing this for the greater good."

Even in later years, Dr. Flynn could be found, seven days a week, walking the hallways of St. Elizabeth's checking on patients, his daughter said.

Dr. Flynn also served as board member of the Massachusetts Health and Education Facilities Authority. He and his wife, who passed away in 2001, were both involved in the Good Samaritan Hospice.

Another daughter, Mary Pat Messmer of Centerville, said that despite his work schedule, her father was always present in family life, and often included his children in his work by bringing them to the hospital or encouraging them to volunteer at the Fernald School, where he was once a director.

"His intellect was rivaled by his compassion for people," Sheila said. "He had a true commitment to caring for people and a sense of responsibility to give back to the world."

Dr. Flynn leaves another daughter, Barbara Smith of Chester, N.H.; a son, Robert of Mountain Lakes, N.J.; seven grandsons; and three granddaughters. A funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. today in St. Anthony's Church in Mattapoisett. Burial will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow in St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury.