Anne Sullivan

Anne Martin Sullivan, 85, of The Villages, FL and Cary, NC, a retired educator, homemaker, and cancer survivor died Thursday, June 29, 2023 after a brief illness.

Born in Providence, RI, and raised in Phenix and Hope, she was a 1955 graduate of West Warwick High School and a 1959 graduate of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI majoring in education. Anne was a Sigma Kappa.

She met the love of her life, Bill, while teaching at Chariho High School in RI before relocating to New Jersey, Indiana and finally settling in Wilbraham, MA to raise her two children. She taught part time in the Springfield area school systems before taking a job at Sweet Life Foods in Suffield, CT where she worked in promotions. She eventually retired to The Villages, FL where she delighted in being able to swim every day.

A self-described tomboy, Anne loved playing and watching sports, none more so than her beloved Boston Red Sox. Whether in person at Fenway Park or at home on NESN, she took joy in seeing her boys play up until her final days (under the watchful eye of her favorite number 9). Anne loved to travel and meet people, visiting most of the states and venturing out to China, Ireland, Paris and Germany. She made friends wherever she went, be it the line at the grocery store or the staff at the ER. She spent much of the pandemic sitting on the porch with friends, playing UNO and watching her wonderful grandchildren grow up in Cary.

Mrs. Sullivan is survived by son William J. III and daughter-in law Jennifer of Cary, NC; daughter Amy of Waltham, MA; sister, Jean Hutchinson of Matunuck, RI; two sister-in-laws, Frances Bestwick of Wood River Junction, RI and Brenda Laspee of Bradford, RI; brother-in-law James of Charlestown, RI; five grandchildren Julia, William J. IV, Sean, David and Brigid all of Cary, NC; and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins. She is predeceased by her husband of 52 years, Bill; sisters Mary James and Glenna Paine and brother-in-law Robert Sullivan.

A memorial gathering for Anne and Bill is being planned for late summer in RI. Donations in Anne's memory may be made to Transitions LifeCare, Philanthropy Dept. 250 Hospice Circle Raleigh, NC 27607. www.transitionslifecare.org/donate