Katherine Bridget “Kathy” (Keany) Groves, of Bradenton, Florida, passed away on August 24, 2026, at the age of 93. She was born May 14, 1933, in Red Bank, New Jersey, to John James and Ella (Farley) Keany, and grew up in Rumson, New Jersey. The oldest daughter in a family of eight children, she attended Red Bank Catholic High School (1951).
She attended Dade County Junior College in Miami and became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), spending much of her career in private-duty nursing. She was deeply devoted to those in her care, nurturing her patients and treating them as though they were members of her own family.
She married Lawrence G. Flannagan Jr., and they had four children: Lawrence G. Flannagan III, Kevin John Flannagan, Marianne Adoryan, and Patricia Martin. Their life together took the family from New Jersey to Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
Later in life, she married Edwin D. Groves, with whom she shared 17 years of marriage. They made their home in Homosassa, Florida, while spending summers in Flat Rock, North Carolina. She was a devout Catholic and active in the church. Her faith remained central throughout her life, while her summers at Bonclarken in Flat Rock also brought meaningful friendships and connections within its community. After Edwin’s death, she continued spending treasured summers in North Carolina, later living in Opelika, Alabama, before moving to Bradenton, Florida.
A world traveler with an adventurous spirit, she delighted in seeing the world, including travels throughout Europe and the Pacific and taking her children and grandchildren on trips to Ireland and to see landmarks around the United States. She enjoyed bicycling, was a talented bridge player, achieved Grand Life Master with the ACBL, and maintained a lifelong love of tennis, continuing to keep up with tennis tournaments well into her later years.
Strong, independent, wise, generous, and caring, she was fiercely devoted to her family. She had high standards, a sharp wit, and was never one to keep her opinions to herself. She taught her grandchildren to cook and introduced them to investing and financial planning at an early age, while inspiring independence, curiosity, and a love of travel.
She was preceded in death by her husbands, Lawrence G. Flannagan Jr. and Edwin D. Groves; her son, Lawrence G. Flannagan III; daughter, Patricia (Flannagan) Martin; grandson, Kevin A. Flannagan; and siblings Thomas Keany, John Keany Jr., and James Keany.
She is survived by her children, Marianne Adoryan and Kevin John Flannagan; siblings Bernard Keany, Mary Smith, Helen Pettengill, and Paul Keany; four grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a loving extended family.
She was a special woman, a true matriarch, and a loving mother and grandmother whose strength, wisdom, humor, generosity, and faith shaped her family in ways that will endure for generations.
Services will be held in the spring of 2027 in Rumson, New Jersey, with burial in the Keany family plot at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown, New Jersey.
Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel, 604 43rd Street, Bradenton, Florida, is in charge of funeral arrangements.
