SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Helen M. (Finn) Sullivan, 91, of the Hungry Hill section of Springfield, was Called Safely Home on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Helen passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by the care and comfort of her loving family.
She was born in Springfield on April 19, 1931, a beloved daughter of the late John J. Finn and Helen E. (Shea) Finn. She graduated from the High School of Commerce in Springfield and was a lifelong resident of the city.
She was last employed as a Para Professional for over 20 years for the Springfield Public School System. She previously was a Secretary for both the Springfield Fire Marine Insurance Company and the Springfield Armory.
Active in her Catholic faith, Helen was a longtime communicant of the former Our Lady of Hope Church in Springfield where she served her parish as a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Instructor and was a member of the Women’s Guild. Following the closure of her beloved church, she became a communicant of Sacred Heart Church in Springfield.
She loved being surrounded by her children and grandchildren and spending time at the beach. Helen and her husband, Robert, enjoyed their vacation home on Brighton Road in Old Lyme, Connecticut for over 45 years. Above all, she was a remarkable woman who deeply loved her family and her many friends.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband and soul mate, Robert E. Sullivan who was Called Home on Christmas Day, December 25, 2021. They were married on January 8, 1955 at the former Our Lady of Hope Church in Springfield and were blessed with over 66 years of happiness together.
She leaves her six loving children, Dennis M. Sullivan of Springfield, Ellen M. Tyler and her husband, Ronald, of Old Lyme, CT and Abbot, ME, Maureen A. Dinnan and her husband, James, of Old Lyme, CT, Patrick J. Sullivan and his wife, Nancy, of Springfield, Elizabeth M. Jury and her husband, Jack, of Westfield and Theresa M. Sweeney and her husband, Patrick, of Suffield, CT; her 18 cherished grandchildren; her ten cherished great-grandchildren; her two dear sisters in law, Marion Rogers of Springfield and Kathleen Cavallo and her husband, Frank, of Feeding Hills; her brother in law, Edward Sullivan of Springfield; and her many dear nephews, nieces, cousins, numerous friends and extended members of the Sullivan and Finn families.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her dear brother, Thomas J. Finn; her dear sister, Dorothy A. Finn; her two dear brothers in law, Gerald Sullivan and Raymond Sullivan; and her dear sister in law, Eleanor Haggerty.
Her family received friends on Monday, June 13, 2022 at Sacred Heart Church, 395 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01104, which was followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. Her Burial followed the Mass at Saint Michael Cemetery, 1601 State Street, Springfield, MA 01109.
Her funeral arrangements were entrusted to the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Springfield Chapels, (413-737-1177), 7 Chapin Terrace, Springfield, MA 01107.
In lieu of flowers, her family requests that memorial donations be made in her memory to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 Saint Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.
For more details and to leave her family condolence messages, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com