December 2, 2016

Betty Sullivan, First Friday Prayer Breakfast cofounder, fondly remembered

REGIONAL
By Peggy Weber

Photos courtesy of Sullivan Family and Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski

SPRINGFIELD – Regular attendees at the First Friday Prayer Breakfast at the Bishop Marshall Center, here, fondly remembered Elizabeth (“Betty”) Frances (Cullinane) Sullivan, 89, of Springfield, who passed away at her home on Nov. 17. She and her husband, William, founded and founded the First Friday Prayer Breakfast 31 years ago.

Dot Lortie spoke fondly of Betty. As she was preparing the coffee and danish on Dec. 2, Dot said, “I have had a good cry this morning thinking about her today. It was an honor and a pleasure to work with her and Billy all these years.”

She recalled a comment made about Betty by one of her daughters. “She said that Billy was the visionary and Betty carried it out. Even when they wintered in Florida, she would call me to make sure everything was all set for the breakfast. She was conscientious, organized and always involved.”

Dot said that Billy and Betty were honored with a proclamation from Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski and Msgr. Christoper Connelly, rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral. It was given at a recent prayer breakfast in recognition of their contributions toward it and for being the founder. “I am so glad we could give them that accolade,” she said.

Several people referred to Betty as the “heart and soul” of the prayer breakfast.

Jim Sullivan, Betty’s brother-in-law, said the prayer breakfast was “close to her heart.” In addition, he described her as a “wonderful, loving friend and a devoted woman of faith.”

Sister of St. Joseph Eileen Sullivan, pastoral minister at St. Michael’s Cathedral, said, “Betty was a real woman of faith. She was always devoted and always working hard behind the scenes.”

Rosemary Brown of Springfield said that the breakfast was important to Billy and Betty. She noted that Billy checked in with Ted each month, as well, about the speakers and all of the arrangements for the breakfast.

Dave Mathews, a business associate of Billy Sullivan, also described Betty as “the heart and soul of the breakfast” and added that she had “a heart of gold.”

The daughter of the late John and Delia (McDonough) Cullinane, she was born in Springfield on Jan. 29, 1927. She was a lifelong resident of Springfield, graduated from the High School of Commerce and went on to work as a legal secretary. She then devoted herself to raising her family and working alongside her husband in many charitable and community activities. They organized many events, including a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Naples, Fla. She also volunteered at the Tipoff Classic office for many years.

She received an honorary degree from Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee. She was an avid tennis player and loved to play at the Forest Park courts.

In addition to her husband of 58 years, William C. Sullivan, she leaves her daughters, Mary Beth Harrell and her husband, Larry, of Cape May Court House, N.J., Patty Brunault and her husband, Peter, of Palmer, and Kathy Kerrigan and her husband, Patrick, of Falls Church, Va.; her sister, Mary Dooley, of East Longmeadow; her grandchildren, Lauren and Molly Brunault, and Shannon and Mike Kerrigan; and many extended family members and friends both in Springfield and Naples, Fla.

The Liturgy of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, Nov. 22 in St. Michael’s Cathedral with rites of committal and interment in St. Michael’s Cemetery, Springfield.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Betty’s memory may be made to the Edward P. Boland Scholarship Fund, 67 Market St., Springfield, MA 01102; the Sisters of St. Joseph, 577 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104: or Sister Caritas Cancer Center, 271 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104.

Rebecca Drake contributed to this story.