Obituary of Ann M. Sullivan

Ann Marietta Sullivan, a former Physician Assistant and loving mother, passed away on September 27, 2023 at the age of 74. Ann was born to her parent’s William and Marietta Sullivan in Waterbury, CT and grew up in Watertown, CT, where her parents taught at the Taft School. Ann graduated from UNC – Chapel Hill with her Bachelor’s degree in History. After school, Ann moved out to San Francisco where she lived for two years. She enjoyed her time there, but decided to relocate back to Boston after a 3 month stint in Western Europe. Upon arriving back in Boston, she worked in the import/export business downtown with W.N. Proctor for two years. She went on to attend Wake Forest and graduate from the PA program in 1979. Ann worked as a PA at a number of locations. She worked for the prison system, mass doctors in their family medicine department, the Jewish Memorial Hospital in Roxbury, and then in 1992 she joined Harvard Vanguard where she worked until retiring in 2015.

While working, Ann met her future husband, Nelson. The two were married in 1987 and settled in Burlington, MA where they welcomed their daughter, Lily. Ann loved to spend her free time at the beach. Her favorite was vacation spot was anywhere on Cape Cod. She would go every year, and enjoy spending her days at the beach, sitting in a beach chair, looking at the waves, walking the shoreline, putting her feet in the water, and reading a good book. She read everything under the sun; fiction, non-fiction, mystery, history. If she wasn’t at the beach, she was most likely at the library or used bookstore in Burlington picking out her next beach read. Ann and Lily also enjoyed going out to eat together. They were always excited to try new restaurants. A perfect night out was capped off with a stop at the Ice Cream Parlor for a cone.

Ann will be remembered as an incredible person with a huge heart. She always made time for friends and family, and prioritized catching up with folks, ensuring that distance was no excuse for being close friends. She was a woman of faith and enjoyed her friends St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and her women’s group here in Burlington. She demonstrated her love for other with her cooking, including a few special dishes that only came out for the holidays. She loved to go shopping at the Cape Cod Outlets and had a craving for chocolate that could never be satisfied. 

Ann Sullivan was the beloved wife of Nelson Holt of Burlington. She was the loving mother of Ann Liela Holt of Burlington. She was the dear sister to the late Jay Sullivan. She was the caring dog-mom to her dog Cooper and the late Isabella, her husky. 

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 4, from 5 to 7 PM at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington, MA 01803. A funeral service for Ann will be held on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 10 AM at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 10 St Marks Rd, Burlington, MA 01803, leaving from the Sullivan Funeral Home at 9 am. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, at www.ocrahope.org in Ann’s memory.

For online guestbook, tribute video, and service information, please visit www.sullivanfuneralhome.net.