Obituary of Mildred Sullivan

Mildred Meehan Sullivan, a woman who used her family and faith as her compass during her life, passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning January 19, 2016. She was 88 years old. Mildred was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late Edward and Catherine Meehan. She grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey, and was a graduate of St. Mary’s High School. She started dating her fellow classmate, John Sullivan at the end of her senior year. They went to the Senior Prom together and when she turned 22 they married. Mildred completed business school and worked as a legal secretary in New York until she started having children. Over her 66 years of marriage she had lived in Rutherford, Bloomfield, and Upper Montclair, NJ, and in Wellesley, Concord, and for the last 35 years in Woburn. Mildred loved being a homemaker, and took great pride in running a well-organized and meticulously cared-for household. She was the planner, the organizer, the caregiver, the comforter, and the comedian. With help from her continuously updated “To Do” lists, she accomplished all this while smiling, making everyone laugh, or singing to a tune on the radio or in her head. She was the host for all the holidays. She loved her family with her entire being. Saying Mildred was extremely outgoing does not seem to say enough. She simply made friends everywhere she went. She was warm and welcoming to all her children’s friends and her neighbors. She loved children, and would simply strike up a conversation with them whether it was in line at a store, dining at a restaurant, or any other location. Her warm smile, whimsical ways, and sincerity made children and adults alike gravitate to her. Her children would attest that Mildred loved everyone, and everyone loved her. Mildred had a strong Catholic Faith. She used that faith to help guide her in how she lived her life and cared for her family. Since she lived in Woburn, she found St. Eulalia’s Church a special place where she could share and strengthen her religious beliefs. Mildred was the beloved wife of John F. Sullivan. She was the loving mother of Kathleen Kenney of Roslindale, Thomas and his wife Suzanne of East Dennis, Daniel and his wife Catherine of Shoreview, MN, Margaret Go and her husband Delfin of Chevy Chase, MD, James & his wife Pamela of Center Ossipee, NH, and Patrick & his wife Deborah of Plymouth, NH. She was predeceased by her siblings Eugene Meehan, Mary Spelman, and Edgar Meehan. She was the very proud grandmother of Deborah Murray, Owen Kenney, Tara Rubin, Michael and Madeline Go, Karen, Kevin, Patrick, Gregory, Katherine, Jack and Katelyn Sullivan. She was predeceased by her grandson Brian Go. She was blessed to see another generation with the birth of her great grandchild Stella June Rubin. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off RT. 128/95, Woburn side) on Saturday, January 23 at 8:45 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Eulalia’s Church, 50 Ridge St., Winchester at 10 a.m. Visiting hours on Friday from 4-8 p.m. Burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Stoneham. Memorial donations in Mildred’s name may be made to The Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, New York, 175 Route 340, Sparkill, NY 10976,www.sparkill.org.