Maureen Lynn Sullivan

Maureen Lynn Sullivan suffered a subdural hematoma the day before Thanksgiving, and was hospitalized for a week prior to her death. Throughout her hospitalization, she was in the company of her boyfriend and family, until she passed away peacefully on the morning of November 30th, 2022. Maureen was a dearly beloved daughter, an awesome older sister to 3 siblings, a cherished girlfriend to Mark Sullivan (no relation!), the fun Aunt to 7 nieces and nephews, cousin to twenty, a dear friend to many others and was the perennial “Aunt Mo” to all of her friends’ kids.

If you had the pleasure of meeting Maureen, she was certainly one of the funniest, smartest people you knew. She became the first girl to ever play Little League in Sparta, New Jersey. She worked at every opportunity and saved all her money for years and years to buy a truculent and corpulent pony named Chester, and to later lease a beautiful horse named Sensational Strawberry Lady, and she loved them both more than just about anything. She made fast friends with people wherever she went, and she was the very best kind of friend to have. She was kind and generous—sometimes to a fault—and was forever ready to stand on principle against moral wrongs.

Maureen always seemed to have a joke at the ready to bring levity to any situation. She would breathe life into the retelling of a mundane event until it became an epic saga that had you in hysterics, although historical accuracy occasionally suffered in the service of entertainment. She relished a good challenge, never backed down from an argument, and thoroughly appreciated anyone who could give her a run for her money provided they had a sense of humor. She charmed children with her sparkling personality and her infectious zeal for play and fun.

Maureen was an avid reader, a movie lover, a great storyteller, a lover of horses and dogs, a die-hard New York Giants fan, a puzzle and trivia whiz, and always one of the most giving, generous people around. She would literally give you the shirt off her back or shoes off her feet—although her shoes would be unlikely to fit you. She always made herself supremely useful, she’d be the first to roll up her sleeves to get anything accomplished.

Maureen was a member of the Quaker Valley High School Class of 1985, was a 1989 graduate of Bucknell University. She chose to share her talents helping others, first for an environmental remediation company in Ohio and then proudly working many years at the U.S. Institute of Peace in DC.

Maureen is survived by her mother Bonna; her brother Michael (Corie); sisters Anne Salyer (John) and Bridget Ruud (Erik); nieces and nephews Katherine and Ryan Sullivan, Caroline and Charles Salyer, and Johanna, Alexander and Clare Ruud. She was predeceased by her father Michael in August of this year. She will also be dearly missed by her long-time boyfriend Mark Sullivan and his extended family, who spent a great deal of time with her in recent years.

A memorial service will be held for family and friends on Sunday, December 11, 2022 from 11am-2pm at Murphy Funeral Homes, 4510 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations in her honor may be made to House of Ruth, 5 Thomas Cir NW #4, Washington, DC 20005, and the Human Rescue Alliance, PO Box 96312, Washington, DC 20090-6312.