Obituary of Mary A Maureen'' Sullivan

Mary A. ''Maureen'' Sullivan passed away peacefully on Thursday evening, February 22, 2018 at 85 years old surrounded by family. Maureen was born in Cambridge, the only child of Patrick and Agnes Crowley. She grew up in Cambridge and Arlington. She was a graduate of Arlington High School and Fitchburg State Teacher’s College. She married Walter Sullivan and chose to forgo her teacher goals to become a homemaker and mother of 3 very active sons. She somehow seamlessly was able to manage all her sons’ activities and sports. There was baseball, hockey, and football games at different fields and rinks and she always seemed to be present at all their games, an almost impossible feat. When the boys were off at school she took a position as a medical secretary in office of Dr. Mintz. She worked for Dr. Mintz for 25 years and ended her career as a medical secretary at the Lahey Clinic. She was also a member of the Medical Assistants Association. Maureen’s life revolved around the men of her family, but that did not mean she wasn’t in charge at home. She was the devoted wife of Walter for 51 years. They purchased their home in Burlington in 1958. They had a great circle of friends and neighbors who they loved socializing with. Walter was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Association, so Maureen joined the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW. They enjoyed taking cruises and trips to visit family and friends. When Walter took ill, she lovingly cared for him as well as working as many as 3 jobs at a time to help support the household. She was always doing motherly things geared toward boys. She was a member of the PTO. While Mom’s with daughter’s went dress shopping, Maureen was at ballfields, going to Air Shows, touring battleships and submarines, sewing ripped jeans, mending scrapes and bruises, and picking up after them all. She loved when she became a grandmother especially because she finally had girls to dote on. Being retired at that point, she and Walter had more time to appreciate the grandkids and suspended all the parenting rules that had applied to their sons. There were trips to Disney, the baseball and football games, dance recitals, concerts, and going for ice cream was a great idea at any time of the day. Maureen did have some activities outside of her family which included being a Charter member of the Burlington Garden Club, President of the Tower Hill Tenant Association for 8 years, and playing Mahjong weekly with her girlfriends. Maureen wasn’t a famous women, but she truly was remarkable. She will be always loved, never forgotten, and forever missed by those she loved and touched during her lifetime. Maureen was the beloved wife of the late Walter F. Sullivan. She was the loving mother of Daniel Sullivan & his wife Brenda of Arlington, Stephan Sullivan & his wife Barbara of Lowell, and the late Lawrence Sullivan and mother-in-law of Susan Sullivan of Lowell. She was the sister-in-law of the late Daniel Sullivan and Arthur & Helen Sullivan. Maureen was also survived by 12 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren & 5 nieces. Funeral from the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95 Woburn side) on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Malachy’s Church, 99 Bedford St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Monday 4-8 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Maureen's name may be made to the VNA of Middlesex East, Sawtelle Hospice, 800 West Cummings Park, Suite 5000, Woburn, MA 01801. For directions, obituary & online guestbook see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net & www.saint-malachy.org