Horan, Mary Ellen
It is with great sadness that we said good-bye to our beloved Mary Ellen on September 30, 2021, wife to Gary, mother to Kelly, and sister to Peter T. Sullivan. Mary Ellen was born to Peter and Mary Sullivan of West Hartford, Connecticut on June 19, 1946. Mary Ellen spent her early years attending Saint Thomas Apostle School, Irish step dancing and enjoying time with her family. She graduated with her secretarial degree from Hartford Secretarial School in 1967. She started working for Britton and Stone in West Hartford in 1967 it was here that she slipped walking a flight of stairs and literally fell into the arms of Gary, where she would remain for the next 55 years. Gary and Mary Ellen married on July 5, 1969, and enjoyed a loving 52 years of marriage filled with wonderful adventures, the most important of which began in 1973 with the birth of their daughter Kelly. In 1976, Mary Ellen, Gary and Kelly settled into their current home a 1901 Cratfsman house in West Hartford, Connecticut. Mary Ellen loved this house and she was the heart of what made it a home. It was here where she showcased her talents for interior design, holiday decorating, baking and gardening. Family was extremely important to Mary Ellen, she grew up in a large family with first cousins in Ireland on the O'Sullivan and Carr side in addition to many second cousins stateside, including Carol Hyland of Hartford, CT and Margaret Flanagan of Farmington, CT. Her unique and beautiful relationship with her daughter
Kelly led to Kelly's friends being added to the family, many of whom considered Mary Ellen a second mom. The family grew further in 2003 when Kelly married Tom and he was welcomed into the family as a son. If you spent time with Mary Ellen and her family, you knew how special a bond they shared, how much they all loved and adored one another.
Mary Ellen's career was spent in education at two religious institutions. In her early career, she spent 16 years as an administrative assistant at the Saint Joseph College School for Young children. She worked with four different directors as the school grew and moved from a basement location on the college campus to a fully redesigned modern facility on Steele Road. She was well known and beloved by all the parents, students, and staff who marveled at her ability to do her regular job while simultaneously organizing “perfect” parties for birthdays and holidays.
The next phase of her career also involved education, but in a very different setting as an administrator for the Deacon Formation program of the Archdiocese of Hartford. During her 17 years, she worked with her close friend Pat Murray and became the administrator for all aspects of the program except for the religious training. Each class of deacons relied upon her for guidance, encouragement, and ensuring that they completed their diaconate training. Her retirement would only come as a result of the pandemic, she loved working for the church and guiding all their children both young and mature.
After her family and career, Mary Ellen's greatest passion was travel. She greatly enjoyed getting out of Connecticut and traveled widely throughout North America including annual visits to Nantucket where she enjoyed the miles of bike paths and beaches. Her international travels included Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany,
Spain, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Argentina, Japan, Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, and Bermuda. Ireland was always her favorite country; however, Paris stole her heart as her favorite city.
Mary Ellen is survived by her husband, Gary of West Hartford, daughter Kelly and son-in-law Thomas Golembeski of West Hartford, brother Peter T. Sullivan of Avon, CT, nieces Kerry Danila of Canton, CT and Shannon Russo of Collinsville, CT. Mary Ellen's family want to acknowledge the excellent medical care she received and especially thank the doctors and nurses at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.
Friends may call at The Ahern Funeral Home, 180 Farmington Ave., Hartford on Tuesday, October 5th from 4 to 7 pm. Funeral procession from The Ahern Funeral Home will be Wednesday, October 6th at 11:15 am followed by the Funeral Liturgy in St. Peter Claver Church, 47 Pleasant St., West Hartford at 12:00 pm. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Donations in Mary Ellen's honor may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168. To send online condolences to the family, please visit www.ahernfuneralhome.com.