Maura Margaret Flatley

Work and family were both very important to Maura. 

At work she took on, learned, and mastered anything that was asked of her. This included research into robot control systems; process control software for chip manufacturing factories (“fabs”); database design and implementation; internal messaging infrastructure for complex telecom gear; and debugging tools for real-time issues, as applied to both “traditional” data switching gear, as well as the newest fibre optical technology. 

Maura enjoyed the esteem of her co-workers here in Ottawa, in China, in India and in previous jobs in New Jersey. She got along with everyone – collegial, co-operative, and practical, with a “let’s get the job done” attitude. Not to mention the co-workers who became lifelong friends.

Maura grew up the youngest of six children in a humble but hard-working dairy farming family in Greenwich, NY – in upstate New York, near Saratoga Springs. Academic excellence resulted in degrees from SUNY Potsdam and Cornell University. She then worked for some of the biggest names in the “high tech” of telecommunications: AT&T and Siemens in New Jersey, and Nortel, and Ciena in Ottawa. 

It was at Cornell that she met Daniel Zlatin. Later, their marriage resulted in her move to Ottawa and 33 loving years together (shared with various cats). 

She enjoyed travelling and educating herself during those travels. She was always curious about the world and had a love of nature that she used as a source of entertainment for her family, with daily emails during the last four years of her life.

But Maura was also a homebody, still very attached to where she grew up. Visits to her sisters Leona (and Peter Read) and family and Jane (and Harold Garstang), and her brothers Tim (predeceased) and Jack (predeceased), were very important to her. She made time to ensure she went “home” as often as possible, for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter dinners; and also birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations. And although her brother Ed (and Dorothy) live on the west coast, she was always very happy to catch up with what was going on with him and his family.

 And there are also friends from her childhood and academic years – still in touch over all the years.

 Maura did not battle cancer. That was not her style. She had an 11-year journey with it. Not always a pleasant journey – journeys can include roads that have many potholes. But such journeys are not always unpleasant, either. And in the last few weeks, maybe it wasn’t Maura journeying with it, anymore. 

A Celebration of her Life will be held at the Tubman Funeral Home Garden Chapel, 3440 Richmond Road (between Bayshore and Baseline Road), on Thursday, July 25th from noon until 3 p.m., with Words of Remembrance at 12:30 followed by refreshments. Links for condolences, tributes, donations, and the livestream for the Words of Remembrance can be found at www.Tubmanfuneralhomes.com.

Maura’s ashes will be scattered in the fall, on the hills above the farm where she grew up, completing the circle of her life’s journey.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Hospice Care Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, or your favourite health-associated charity would be appreciated.