Obituary of Helen M. Sullivan

Helen McDonough Sullivan passed away at her home in Basking Ridge on May 12 at the age of 96, surrounded by her loving family. She was born and raised in Plainfield, where she graduated from Plainfield High School in 1945. It was there that she met her beloved husband, Edward Sullivan. While Edward attended law school, Helen resided in the Bronx and later moved to North Plainfield before settling down and raising her family in Watchung. In 1997, she moved to Basking Ridge, where she spent the rest of her life. Helen spent every summer for the past 60 years at the family home in Normandy Beach on the Jersey Shore.

Helen was a graduate of Edgewood Park at Briar Cliff Manor and a dedicated former member of St. Mary's Stony Hill RC Church in Watchung. She even helped maintain the priest's vestments. Most recently, she attended Our Lady of the Mount RC Church in Warren.

Helen was known for her excellent craftsmanship, enjoying sewing, knitting, embroidery, and needlepoint. She was an avid bridge player and was still playing until a few weeks ago, and enjoyed playing tennis for years with friends. Helen was a lifelong fan of the Yankees and rarely missed a game.

Helen is predeceased by her loving husband, Edward Michael Sullivan, who passed away in 2009.

She is survived by her six children and their spouses, Michael Sullivan and Cathy, Peter Sullivan, and Catherine, Mark Sullivan and Laura, Patty Dillon and Bill, Nancy Sullivan, and Marianne Sullivan and Debbie Bunker; 20 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

A memorial gathering will be held on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ.  A Mass will be held on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mount R.C. Church, 170 Mount Bethel Road, Warren, NJ. The inurnment will follow at St. Mary's-Stony Hill R.C. Church Cemetery, Plainfield Avenue, Watchung.