Grandmother, longtime PVHMC case manager, volunteer

Twyla Flaherty Acosta died at home in Claremont surrounded by family members on Saturday, October 12.

Twyla was born on June 17, 1950 in Redding, California, and moved at age 1 to the Atlanta area. She was the only child of Dennis Austin Flaherty, Jr. and Ouida Price Flaherty. She was a 1968 graduate of Lakeside High School in Dekalb County, Georgia, and attended Shorter College in Rome, Georgia, and Mercer College in Atlanta.

She married Nelson Acosta in 1970. They raised three sons together, Jeffrey, Stephen, and Bryan. Work took the family to North Carolina, Atlanta, Florida, Alabama, Illinois, back to Atlanta, London, and Saudi Arabia before they settled for the long haul in Claremont in 1984. She worked for more than 23 years in the case management department at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, where she had many valued friends.

Outside of work she was active as a Cub Scout den mother, a Little League team mom, a volunteer at Chaparral Elementary School in Claremont, had her own gift basket side hustle, and enjoyed bunco for many years with a group of very dear friends.

After battling Parkinson’s disease for 19 years, its complications eventually ended her life journey. “The family would like to recognize her expert physical therapists at Somadoc and The Claremont Club that worked so diligently for years to help Twyla maintain mobility, the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center care team during her recent hospitalization, and the VNA Hospice Care team members who provided for her during her final days at home,” her family shared.

She was predeceased by her parents and one grandchild, Ezekiel Acosta.

She leaves her husband Nelson; sons Jeffrey and wife Erin, Stephen and wife Brittni, and Bryan and wife Ashley; along with 10 grandchildren.

A celebration of life memorial Mass will be held Thursday, November 21 at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, 435 N. Berkeley Ave., Claremont 91711.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation at parkinson.org; or to the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Foundation at pvhmc.org/giving-support.