Obituary of Phyllis N. Sullivan

Phyllis Nina Sullivan 

On January 26th, 2024, Phyllis Nina Sullivan passed away peacefully, surrounded by her children: Deidre (Ruth Harlow) Ann Sullivan of New York, NY, Robert W. Sullivan, Jr. of South Salem, NY and Cara (Aric) Kiely Morrison of Newburyport, MA. She is also survived by her siblings Kathleen McLaughlin of Upper St. Claire, PA, and Jerome (Terry) Kiely of Mahopac, NY and by her grandchildren Hector Harlow (New York, NY) and Jonathan (Samantha) Goldberg (Chicago, IL).

Phyllis was born in Port Chester, NY, and attended The College of New Rochelle where she was a straight A-student and purported basketball player. After college, she taught at Port Chester High School, Stamford High School, and a high school in New Jersey that no one can remember. She was a beloved English teacher and leaves behind a legacy of correcting grammar to her children.

She met her husband of 53 years, Dr. Robert W. Sullivan, Sr., one magical summer at Jones Beach. It was not love at first sight, but it was true love. Phyllis was known to wear his lifeguard identification bracelet every summer since.

Phyllis raised her family in Pound Ridge, NY, where she was an important part of the town community through her work with the town election committee, the Pound Ridge Garden Club and the Pound Ridge Tennis Club.  She particularly enjoyed greeting friends and neighbors on Election Days and her term as president of the garden club.

In her spare time, Phyllis loved to spend time with friends, travel, experience exotic cuisines, play tennis, pretend to ski and create award winning gardens. Her love and knowledge of literature was unsurpassed. And everyone will fondly remember her obsession with the weather and crossword puzzles. A renaissance woman, to be sure.

Phyllis was lately of Pawleys Island, SC were she enjoyed making new friends and memories in the beach community and of course, building beautiful gardens and joining the Herb Society, which isn’t what you think it is.

She is remembered with so much love by her children and friends for her saucy sense of humor, wit, beauty, elegance and warm hugs. Phyllis was a class act her entire life and is already greatly missed.

Family and friends are invited to the Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated on Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 11:00am at St. Patrick RC Church, 7 Pound Ridge Road, Bedford, NY.