Dona Cotrone Sullivan

Dona Cotrone Sullivan
Dona Cotrone Sullivan, 72, a resident of Hamden since 1980, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. She and her husband, Daniel Sullivan, shared a beautiful 46-year marriage; a lifetime built on love, deep devotion, and endless laughter. Dona was born in New Haven on December 17, 1952, and was the daughter of the late John D. and Patricia Perkins Cotrone. Dona was a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law and friend. Dona was an entrepreneur and a champion for the disabled. She had a quick wit and loved to make people laugh even if it meant she was the punch line. In the early 1980's, Dona co-founded two successful local companies: White Glove Maid Service and Innovative Data Processing (IDP). Dona was one of the original business owners to join the Professional Business Association (PBA), a prestigious New Haven networking group for new businesses. In 1984, she took a job with one of her clients, Fairfield United Cerebral Palsy, which later merged with St. Vincent's Medical Center. Dona worked her way up to Senior Management in that organization from 1984 until 2003. Dona concurrently worked as an Administrative Program Surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) based in Tucson, Arizona. This position allowed Dona the opportunity to travel the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to visit rehabilitation facilities. Dona served on the Board of Directors of Chapel Haven, a parent-founded agency providing an array of life-long services to empower people with disabilities to live independently. She also served as the Chairperson of the Program Review Committee for Southwest CT for two years. While Dona was a very accomplished businesswoman, her greatest and most prideful contribution was her love and support for her family. Dona was a loving mother to Kevin Sullivan and a loving mother-in-law to Kevin's wife, Stacey Sullivan. Dona was a devoted and loving "Amma" to her beloved granddaughter Taylor Sullivan. Dona's greatest joy was being Taylor's Amma and all the fun they would have together. Dona's legacy of love and always being there for her family will live on in the hearts of those who loved her most. Besides her immediate family, Dona leaves behind her sisters-in-law Christine Hudson and Karen Brimberg (Toby), and her nieces and nephews Andrea Hudson (Mike), Laura Failla (Jack), Ian Milne, and Jeff Hudson (Claudia), along with several grandnieces and grandnephews.
Visiting hours will be Saturday morning, December 13th from 10:00am-11:30am at The Havens Family North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue. A service will follow in the funeral home at 11:30am. Entombment will follow in the All Saints Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation at give.michaeljfox.org www.northhavenfuneral.com