Born in Greenwich and raised in Ansonia, Connecticut, Mary Frances Ryan grew up a single child in a close-knit extended family, very close to her cousin Frank Dunn. She graduated from St Mary's High School and then Albertus Magnus College (both in New Haven, Connecticut) with an MSc in Biology in 1962 from the latter. While at Albertus, she met a Yale student called William Sullivan from Newington, whom she went on to marry in 1964. They had three children, moving to Gainesville before the youngest was born for work.

Mom was a homemaker who took a keen interest in the education and prospects of all her children. She loved music, joining a local recorder group who played at weddings and other events, and singing second soprano or alto in the Holy Faith choir on Sundays. She was also an activist, working on the board of and in the offices of both Gainesville Right to Life and at the Humane Society. She made very popular presentations at local schools, bringing pets and abandoned animals in to help awaken empathy and interest in children about caring for animals. As with many of her interests, she involved her children in her activities at the Humane Society.

Once their granddaughter was born, they retired to Poland, where they worked in Wrocław, in Western Poland. After retiring again, they moved to work in Lublin in Eastern Poland. This way they could visit family in Ireland more often, as they travelled back and forth to the US every summer. Mom spent many years teaching English in Poland and learning Polish. Over her lifetime she wrote constantly - journals, family memoirs, (published) articles, and (unpublished) travel books and novels.

On retiring for the last time, Mom and Dad came back to Florida. Mom's great friend Eileen Williams encouraged her to join a book group, and she was able to keep up with her reading until the summer of last year.

Mom passed away peacefully on the morning of Saturday, January 10. The family would like to thank North Florida Regional, Haven Hospice and the Plaza Rehab for the care she received in the last months of her life.

She is survived by her three children (Anne, of Inverness, Scotland, Kathy, of San Mateo, California, and Will (Liam) of West Columbia, South Carolina), her granddaughter Nóirín Ní Ghiollagáin, cousin Frank of Laurel, Mississippi, brothers- and sisters-in-law, dear friends and neighbors.

The funeral will take place in Holy Faith Church Gainesville on Friday, January 23 at 11:30 a.m., followed by a committal at San Lorenzo cemetery in St Augustine on Monday, January 26th at 11:00 a.m. The Mass will be livestreamed here: https://www.youtube.com/live/1jsNKMaOKYY.