Mrs. Miriam Gay Sullivan

Miriam Gay Sullivan, 77, a resident of Alexandria, Virginia, and Falmouth, Massachusetts, died Saturday, August 30, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, after a long illness.

The former Miriam Loftus, known as Gay, was born August 21, 1937 in Quincy, Massachusetts, to Dr. Edward R. Loftus and Miriam Gertrude (Carr) Loftus. She met her future husband, retired Army Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, in the 7th grade. They began dating when he returned to the United States from Vietnam and married in 1965. The couple made 24 moves during his more than 36-year career, culminating with his service as Chief of Staff of the Army.

Mrs. Sullivan was a wife, mother of three, grandmother of three and world traveler. She was also a competitive bridge player, had served on the Army Distaff Foundation’s Board of Trustees and was a member of Christ Church of Alexandria. Mrs. Sullivan also served as a trustee of Browne Academy and volunteered her time with countless causes and activities throughout the community.

She is survived by her husband; three children, MNC John Sullivan, USN Ret., and his wife, Eneliza, of Arlington, Virginia, Mark Sullivan and his wife, Heather, of Leawood, Kansas, and Elizabeth Sullivan of Fayetteville, North Carolina; three grandchildren, Christopher, Jack and Samantha; two sisters, Suzanne Andrews of Bridgton, Maine, and Adria Keneagy of Augusta, Maine; two stepsiblings, Edward Loftus II of Holliston, Massachusetts, and Kristin Fletcher of Jacksonville, Florida; and her sister-in-law Penuel Cohen and her husband, Eugene, of Scituate, Massachusetts.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, September 12, at 1:00 p.m. at the Memorial Chapel, Fort Myer. A private interment will take place at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Christchurch School in Christchurch, Virginia at https://www.christchurchschool.org/onlinegiving, or to the Marshall Legacy Institute, Arlington, Virginia at http://marshall-legacy.org/

Arrangements under the direction of Murphy Funeral Homes, Arlington, VA.