When Brian Flaherty passed away on Memorial Day 2023, his wife of 50 years, Geraldine Marino, began to hear from many people who had known and loved her husband. This included family members, friends, his Army buddies (he served in Vietnam in 1969-70) and his students (he was a teacher in Broward County, Florida, for 25 years).
“I enjoyed the stories people told me about Brian, so I invited anyone to write a story about him,” Geraldine Marino said while explaining why she decided to publish a book replete with stories written by people who had been positively influenced by her husband.
“It was the stories from the students that hit me the most,” she reflected. “He was a phenomenal teacher.”
“The Lives Brian Touched,” which Marino independently published in April, contains stories from more than 40 people who knew Flaherty.
In tribute to her husband’s memory, Marino has donated all the proceeds from the sales of her book to the Food Warriors Program, a nonprofit initiative that collects and distributes food to about 600 families who are dealing with food insecurity in New Jersey.
Marino presented the Food Warriors with a check for $3,500 at the beginning of August. Marino said she will continue to donate the book’s proceeds to this organization.
The Food Warriors Program is run by Navy veteran Michael Schaffer. Schaffer crisscrosses the Garden State every day collecting food and donations for these military families.
“He was unbelievable,” Marino said of meeting Schaffer last year. “I wanted to have a charity to support and, when I learned about Food Warriors, I decided this was it.”
Flaherty, born in Jersey City, attended the Delbarton School in Morris Township, then the University of Vermont, where he played football. He completed his college education at Jersey City State University.
Geraldine Marino and Brian Flaherty married in 1973 and moved to Florida in the early 1980s. Flaherty taught social sciences.
“The Lives Brian Touched” is available on Amazon here.
