Joan E. Sullivan

Joan Evelyn Sullivan, 53, passed away in her sleep early Sunday morning, May 10, 2020.

Born and raised in Quincy, Joanie was the only daughter of James B. Sullivan and Joan Gallagher Sullivan. She lived in North Quincy, in Squantum, in Merrymount and in Dorchester.

A graduate of the class of 1985 at Quincy High School, she was an outstanding long distance runner and an honor roll student. She attended Aquinas College in Milton and completed the Boston Marathon in 1986 with a time very close to the four-hour mark.

Over the past thirty years, she worked variously at a makeup counter in the South Shore Plaza, as an aerobics instructor and as a personal trainer.

Though never married, she did enjoy a number of meaningful relationships through the years. As well, she enjoyed the company of two pets that stayed by her side for many years – Scout, her pint-sized terrier, and Sweetie, her parrot.

She was embedded in and loved by a large, extended family. Sharing memories of siblings and cousins as little kids was a favorite pastime. She loved her aunts and uncles and older cousins. If it’s truly the thought that counts, her gifts were enormous. Nary a birthday could pass before one of her cards showed up in the mail, accompanied by a sweet note. She was as kind and sweet as they come, and never held a grudge.

Her nephew and niece, Cullen and Vivian Sullivan, have been a constant source of joy. She looked for every opportunity to spend as much time as possible with her toddler nephew, Auden Sullivan. She talked every other day with her father in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and she was a boon companion to her mother, also a Quincy resident.

She’ll be sorely missed by her brother, James Sullivan of Cape Elizabeth, ME, his wife Thuy, and their children, Cullen and Vivian; by her brother, John Sullivan, of Port Charlotte, FL; and by her brother, Jeffrey, his partner Tori Labate, and their son, Auden.

Expressions of sympathy may be made in Joanie’s memory to any animal shelter.

A private committal ceremony will be held at Mt. Wollaston Cemetery.

Normally, the funeral is an opportunity for the community to gather in support of one another. Although we cannot gather together with Joanie’s family at this time, friends may still offer their support by sharing a special memory of Joanie or message to her family by clicking the link above.