Stefanie Mary Sullivan

1983 - 2022

Stefanie Mary Sullivan
Born: January 15, 1983
Died: January 25, 2022
Stefanie Mary Sullivan, of Woodstock, IL, was called home on January 25, 2022.
Born on January 15, 1983, Stef was not expected to live, let alone thrive. She surprised us all then, and throughout her life with her tenacity, joy and generosity of spirit...all traits which came to be hallmarks of her remarkable life. She had extraordinary medical and physical challenges, which required a significant amount of time in the hospital over the years. And yet, her indomitable spirit lit up every room. She was a brilliant, yellow, light of love, full of joy and self confidence. She loved the Price is Right, yahtzee, bowling, mac n cheese, a good pulse oximeter, anything yellow, all things Toy Story, and of course, classic ET. But most of all she loved people. She was funny, compassionate, strong, and strong willed, and could master any technology. She communicated with her IPhone and had a Facebook page with 100's of friends. She was a gifted writer who chronicled her life with remarkable details - especially about meals and parties, much to the chagrin of her friends at times! She was a longtime volunteer at Options & Advocacy where she was part of the fabric of that organization. She was a talented artist whose works are filled with her spirit. She freely expressed herself with great freedom in her art. Making art was her favorite thing. That and laundry...she loved her laundry. She was happy and joyful every single day of her life except for the last few, when she said that she was tired. She passed in her bed full of Toy Story characters and her E.T.'s in her yellow room filled with her art and the many things that she loved. She is now reunited with her best friend and sweetheart Bret Gerhardt in heaven. What a noisy and joyful reunion that must have been!
She is survived by her mom Cindy and her brother Charlie, whom she adored. Her dad, John Sullivan, passed 4 years ago. She is survived by her grandparents Chuck and Mary Sullivan; her aunts Barb (John) Affinito, Melinda (Kent) Putnam, Vanessa Andersen, Becky (Chris) Swambar, and Marie Halling, many cousins, and many, many friends. A celebration of life will be held in spring. Memorials in her honor can be made to the Stefanie Sullivan Joyful Arts program at Options & Advocacy for McHenry County at optionsandadvocacy.org