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September 16, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8pm on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne NJ. Funeral services will be held 8:30am on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Consolation Church, 1799 Hamburg Tpk where at 9:30am a funeral mass will be celebrated. Interment will be in Christ the King Cemetery, 980 Huron Rd, Franklin Lakes, NJ.
Carol Anne Flinn (née Zaccone), 84, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, with her loving family by her side.
Born in Essex County, NJ, Carol was raised in Belleville and was one of two children born to the late Joseph and Caroline Zaccone. A dedicated and accomplished student, she attended Belleville High School, where she excelled academically and graduated as an honor student in 1960. She continued her education at Kean University, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Education. During her teaching career, Carol also earned a master’s degree from Marywood College.
Following college, Carol began what would become a long and fulfilling career with the Belleville Board of Education. She quickly established herself as a caring, dedicated educator within the district before stepping away to devote herself to raising her family. After her two sons had returned to middle school, Carol returned to the Belleville Board of Education and continued her career until her retirement in 2003. During her years as an educator, she was a member of the Belleville Education Association and was deeply respected and genuinely loved by both her colleagues and the many students whose lives she touched.
During her college years, at a party at the Jersey Shore, Carol met a handsome young man named Edward Flinn. The two immediately hit it off, beginning a courtship that would lead to a lifetime together. After dating for several years, they were married at St. Anthony’s Church in Belleville. Following a brief time living in an apartment in Clifton, Carol and Edward purchased their first home in Wayne, where they raised their two sons, Gregg and Edward. Wayne would remain their beloved home for the next sixty years, where they built a lifetime of memories and shared countless happy years together until Edward’s passing in 2011.
Carol enjoyed many things throughout her life. She loved playing tennis and looked forward to traveling, especially by cruise ship, visiting beautiful destinations including Italy, Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean. She was a devoted New York Yankees fan and rarely missed a game. An avid reader, Carol particularly enjoyed mysteries, biographies, and novels. She also took great pride in her appearance and always made sure she looked her best before heading out, reflecting the care and grace she brought to everything she did.
While Carol could be quiet and reserved among strangers, those who knew her best saw another side of her. With family and friends, she was warm, social, engaging, and completely at ease. Above all else, however, Carol’s greatest passion was her family. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, and cherished grandmother, and her family was the center of her world. To her grandchildren, she was affectionately known as “Mema,” a name forever associated with the love, warmth, and special memories she created for them. She was not only dedicated to her family but also to her Catholic Faith. She cherished summers spent with her family at their summer house in Long Beach Island.
Carol’s life was defined not by grand gestures, but by the lasting impact she made on the people around her as an educator, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a friend. She gave generously of herself to those she loved and took great pride in the family and home she and Edward created together. She also gave generously to various charities throughout her life.
Though she will be deeply missed, Carol’s love, laughter, and the many beautiful memories she created will remain a lasting part of the lives of all who knew and loved her.
Carol is survived by her two sons, Edward Flinn III of Bloomingdale, NJ, and Greggory Flinn and his wife Danielle of Telluride, CO, one sister, Dr. Paula Zaccone of Clifton, NJ, and four grandchildren: Samantha Flinn of Hoboken, NJ, Nicholas Flinn of Franklin Lakes, NJ, Connor Flinn of Telluride, CO, and Colton Flinn of Telluride, CO. She was predeceased by her husband Edward Flinn Jr. in 2011.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8pm on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne NJ. Funeral services will be held 8:30am on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Consolation Church, 1799 Hamburg Tpk where at 9:30am a funeral mass will be celebrated. Interment will be in Christ the King Cemetery, 980 Huron Rd, Franklin Lakes, NJ.
September 16, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8pm on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne NJ. Funeral services will be held 8:30am on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at the funeral home, then to Our Lady of Consolation Church, 1799 Hamburg Tpk where at 9:30am a funeral mass will be celebrated. Interment will be in Christ the King Cemetery, 980 Huron Rd, Franklin Lakes, NJ.
Carol Anne Flinn (née Zaccone), 84, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, with her loving family by her side.
Born in Essex County, NJ, Carol was raised in Belleville and was one of two children born to the late Joseph and Caroline Zaccone. A dedicated and accomplished student, she attended Belleville High School, where she excelled academically and graduated as an honor student in 1960. She continued her education at Kean University, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Education. During her teaching career, Carol also earned a master’s degree from Marywood College.
Following college, Carol began what would become a long and fulfilling career with the Belleville Board of Education. She quickly established herself as a caring, dedicated educator within the district before stepping away to devote herself to raising her family. After her two sons had returned to middle school, Carol returned to the Belleville Board of Education and continued her career until her retirement in 2003. During her years as an educator, she was a member of the Belleville Education Association and was deeply respected and genuinely loved by both her colleagues and the many students whose lives she touched.
During her college years, at a party at the Jersey Shore, Carol met a handsome young man named Edward Flinn. The two immediately hit it off, beginning a courtship that would lead to a lifetime together. After dating for several years, they were married at St. Anthony’s Church in Belleville. Following a brief time living in an apartment in Clifton, Carol and Edward purchased their first home in Wayne, where they raised their two sons, Gregg and Edward. Wayne would remain their beloved home for the next sixty years, where they built a lifetime of memories and shared countless happy years together until Edward’s passing in 2011.
Carol enjoyed many things throughout her life. She loved playing tennis and looked forward to traveling, especially by cruise ship, visiting beautiful destinations including Italy, Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean. She was a devoted New York Yankees fan and rarely missed a game. An avid reader, Carol particularly enjoyed mysteries, biographies, and novels. She also took great pride in her appearance and always made sure she looked her best before heading out, reflecting the care and grace she brought to everything she did.
While Carol could be quiet and reserved among strangers, those who knew her best saw another side of her. With family and friends, she was warm, social, engaging, and completely at ease. Above all else, however, Carol’s greatest passion was her family. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, and cherished grandmother, and her family was the center of her world. To her grandchildren, she was affectionately known as “Mema,” a name forever associated with the love, warmth, and special memories she created for them. She was not only dedicated to her family but also to her Catholic Faith. She cherished summers spent with her family at their summer house in Long Beach Island.
Carol’s life was defined not by grand gestures, but by the lasting impact she made on the people around her as an educator, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a friend. She gave generously of herself to those she loved and took great pride in the family and home she and Edward created together. She also gave generously to various charities throughout her life.
Though she will be deeply missed, Carol’s love, laughter, and the many beautiful memories she created will remain a lasting part of the lives of all who knew and loved her.
Carol is survived by her two sons, Edward Flinn III of Bloomingdale, NJ, and Greggory Flinn and his wife Danielle of Telluride, CO, one sister, Dr. Paula Zaccone of Clifton, NJ, and four grandchildren: Samantha Flinn of Hoboken, NJ, Nicholas Flinn of Franklin Lakes, NJ, Connor Flinn of Telluride, CO, and Colton Flinn of Telluride, CO. She was predeceased by her husband Edward Flinn Jr. in 2011.
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