Leah Flanders 1952 – 2026

Leah Flanders, 73, of Phoenix, Maryland, passed away on March 9, 2026.

Leah was born in 1952 and grew up in Timonium, Maryland, with her parents and two brothers, at a time when the area was still quiet and largely undeveloped. She spent most of her life in Maryland, moving to Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, just after Matthew graduated from high school. But more than any title or job, it was the role of mother that defined her and the role she would most have wanted to be remembered for.

When her marriage ended, Leah took on the work of raising her two young sons, Matthew and Michael, entirely on her own, becoming, in every sense, both their mother and their father. In their early years she worked at Controlled Demolition Inc., the firm known for imploding large buildings, and later spent the rest of her career at the People's Water Service in Towson. Whenever extra income was needed, she took on side work without complaint. All of it was in service of a single goal: to raise her boys in Phoenix, Maryland, surrounded by good, like-minded people, in a place safe enough that they could play outside and simply be children. She fought hard for that life, and she overcame every obstacle in her way.

Before illness changed things, Leah was a remarkably capable and self-reliant woman. She took the role of both mother and father in every sense of the word, physically and mentally.

In her mid-thirties, Leah was diagnosed with an exceptionally severe case of rheumatoid arthritis, described by her rheumatologist, one of the finest in his field, as the worst he had ever seen. She also lived with ankylosing spondylitis and chronic nerve pain. For more than three decades she carried these conditions, and though they slowed her body, they never diminished her devotion. Throughout those years, her own mother came to live with the family, and it was within that close circle that Matthew and Michael were raised.

Those who knew Leah knew her first for her kindness. She was gentle, thoughtful, and genuinely sweet, not only to those close to her, but to strangers and to anyone who could offer her nothing in return. She would give away whatever she had, and time and again she went without so that her sons would not have to. She also made sure that she raised her boys well, teaching them manners, social grace, and how to carry themselves with decency in any setting; lessons that others noticed and remarked on throughout their lives.

She also knew how to enjoy life's simple pleasures. Some of her family's happiest memories are of summers in Rehoboth Beach, on the boardwalk and the beach, where Leah gave her sons the freedom to explore and grow, while almost certainly, keeping a watchful eye from somewhere not too far away.

Leah was a beautiful person and a beautiful mother, and she was loved deeply by her family.

She is survived by her sons, Matthew Flanders of Baltimore, Maryland, and Michael Flanders, an emergency medicine physician, of Parkland, Florida; her two daughters-in-law; and her four cherished grandchildren, who were the joy of her later years.

A graveside service will be held at Parkwood Cemetery, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Leah's memory to The Rheumatology Research Foundation, or a charity of your choosing.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Leah Flanders. It is an honor for Coral Springs Funeral Home to be entrusted with the arrangements for her final services. We invite you to offer your messages of sympathy and support by sharing a condolence in her online guestbook.