Deborah T. Sullivan

Deborah T. Sullivan of Watertown died November 12, 2024, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Daughter of the late Timothy J. & Kathleen F. (Kelly) Sullivan. Sister of Theresa Doherty of Burlington, Sheila Laubinger of Burlington, Barbara Connearney of Hanover and the late Kathleen Flynn, James Sullivan, John Sullivan, Paul Sullivan, Mary Sullivan, Timothy Sullivan, Patricia Sullivan, Anna Paris and Robert Sullivan. Deborah was loved by countless brothers and sisters in law, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and dear friends.

Born in 1939 in Cambridge, Deborah was going to be 85. She graduated from St. Mary’s School in Cambridge in 1957. After high school, she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur for 17 years and then spent most of her life living in Watertown.

Family was everything to Deborah. She cherished her very large family dearly, embracing the chaos and fun that came with it. She loved hosting everyone for Christmas and other holidays with parties that were famous for her mud pie and turkey sandwiches with sour pickles. When not hosting, she was always the last to leave the party and the first to start cleaning up, making sure that everything was left in sparkling and perfectly organized condition.

She was truly a kid at heart who loved playing practical jokes on unsuspecting family and friends, a passion she eagerly passed down the generations of the Sullivan family. Deborah was incredibly generous. She was also incredibly stubborn and could not be swayed from her generosity. This was especially true when it came to spoiling her nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, each of whom know full well that they were Deborah’s favorite.

She was proud of her Irish heritage and her 12 brothers and sisters - she never missed a chance to share her family’s story with friends, neighbors and perfect strangers. She made friends wherever she went and kept those friends for life. The innumerable visitors she had from near and far in her last days are a testament to her good humor, kindness and loving spirit. Deborah will be greatly missed by everyone who loved her.

Deborah’s family would like to thank the staff at Sawtelle Hospice House for their skilled and loving care of Deborah over the past six weeks. In lieu of flowers a donation may be made in Deborah’s name to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, PanCAN Donation Processing Center PO Box 5041 Boone, IA 50950-0041 or at www.pancan.org

A Celebration of Deborah’s life will take place at a later date.

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