First Name: Margaret
Last Name: Sullivan (nee Leonard)
Date of Birth: 7 Aug 1928
Date of Death: 9 Aug 2014
Town: Brooklyn
County: Kings
State: New York
Country: United States
Below is the eulogy that was read at her funeral mass by her son Daniel.
My mother was born in Galway, Ireland on August 7, 1928. She left her family in Ireland when she was 22 and came to America to live the American dream. She met my father, Dan, and it was love at first sight. They married and quickly started a family. My mother had many things that she was proud of. The first was her six children: Catherine, Joseph, Maureen, Eileen, Margaret and [Daniel]. She loved us very much and always wanted the best for us. My mother stood beside us through good and bad times. No matter what the situation was she stood beside each of us and supported us through it.
In the early ‘70s when our mom decided to get her nursing degree, we knew it would be hard, but she was determined to do it. Since mom had no high school diploma, first she studied and earned her GED. We were all so proud when, in 1973, she accomplished her goal and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing. That was in keeping with mom’s motto of “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Our family continued to grow with the addition of my brothers-in-law Carlo, Dennis, Adam, John and my wife, Diana. My mother welcomed each one of them as one of her children.
Another of my mother’s greatest accomplishments and joy were her 6 grandchildren: Denise, Michael, Derek, Daniel, Dominique and Sean. She loved each of her grandchildren so much. She loved to brag to her friends about each of them. She would never miss an event in any of their lives. In my mother’s eyes there was no one else that was more beautiful, smarter or more precious than her grandchildren.
Our family continues to grow with the addition of Ryan, Patricia and Erica. They entered the circle of my mother’s grandchildren and were immediately welcomed to the Sullivan family.
My mother loved helping others. After she retired from Holy Family Home, she loved helping my sisters and wife. When they needed something, she would gladly go to the stores looking for whatever it was. Visits to the 99 cent store were her favorite, where she would purchase what was needed and also what wasn’t. She would say that it kept her busy and “gave her something to do.” My mother also volunteered for lunch duty for the Holy Name Pre-K for 12 years. She was dedicated and rarely missed going. Her famous line to the kids at lunch was “if you are talking, you are not eating.” This saying was carried to many dinner tables in the Windsor Terrace area.
My mother did enjoy some hobbies as well. She loved to sit in her recliner and watch her shows, like “The Price is Right”, “Dr. Phil”, and “Cops”. She would also flip on QVC, the Home Shopping Channel, where she would purchase things for herself but more often purchase things she didn’t need and give them to her family members saying “I bought this on QVC, isn’t it cute? Here, you can have it.” Mom could also be found doing a word find puzzle or reading the newspaper. One of mom’s favorite places to be was Atlantic City. She enjoyed taking the bus down and spending a few hours on the slots. She made many friends on those trips but did not like to be disturbed while she gambled, going off on her own to find a lucky machine.
My mom was never afraid to speak her mind, exactly what was on her mind, no matter what. During a family party, while my sisters enjoyed some adult beverages, she said something like “you are all footless!” which meant that they were all a little more than tipsy. No matter what though, we knew that everything she said had glimmers of love behind it.
We are sad mom is no longer on this earth, but content in knowing her pain is gone. We find comfort in knowing she is in Heaven with our grandparents, her brothers and sisters who preceded her there, our brother Joseph, and countless friends and relatives mom lost throughout the years. We are encouraged to think mom is talking them all into going to the casino and know that from now on, when any of us win on the slots, it’s because mom tilted the machine in our favor.
My mother was a strong and courageous woman. Through her life she dealt with some very difficult times. Over the last two months she showed how strong and courageous she was. She went through a terrible ordeal. She was in so much pain but she never complained. Over the last two months my sisters took incredible care of my mother. I know she appreciated it very much. The last two months were difficult for my mother and our family but my mother had to make sure everything was taken care of before she left us for a better place. It was very important that she said her goodbyes to everyone and told them how much she loved them. She offered her words of wisdom to each of us. Though she is no longer with us I know she will remain in our hearts. I know she will always be watching over us. She will be there for all the happy events that are ahead of our family. We know she is no longer in pain and we are sure that she was greeted by my brother Joseph.
We love you mom, and until we meet again, may the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall soft upon your fields, and may God hold you in the palm of his hand. May you rest in peace.