Obituary for Joanne M. Sullivan (Osowiecki)
Joanne M. (Osowiecki) Sullivan, 83, lifelong resident of Suffield, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on March 1. She joins in eternal rest her beloved husband of over 60 years, Daniel F. Sullivan, Jr., and her adoring grandson, Joe Sullivan.
Born August 30, 1938, the eldest daughter of the late Joseph and Nellie (Backiel) Osowiecki, Joanne was Suffield’s Sweetheart from the very beginning, voted by her high school classmates as Most Popular, Most Ambitious, and Class Flirt (although she only had eyes for her Danny, whom she married in 1958). She returned the love of her hometown through a lifetime of community and political service. A proud New England Republican, Joanne first served as Secretary to Suffield’s First Selectman and the CT House Minority Leader, and then launched her own political career, winning elections to the Suffield Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen, and had the highest vote total in a town election. She was honored for her lifelong service with the Republican of the Year award in 2012.
Joanne was also a huge part of the Suffield business community, and was a Founding Member of the Suffield Chamber of Commerce. Many Suffield residents will remember her for helping them buy or sell their home, as she was the co-owner of Chestnut Oak Associates and a top listing agent for decades.
The charities and community organizations Joanne served and supported over the years include all Suffield Youth Sports, Suffield Women’s Club, Suffield Retirement Commission, Friends of Hilltop Farm, and the Suffield Community Center. She joined a community mission to Haiti to provide dental care to impoverished residents of that nation. Joanne also served as a Justice of the Peace since 1975, presiding over many local weddings and letting everyone who would listen know that she had “married” over a hundred people.
But more than for any of those remarkable accomplishments, Joanne will always be remembered as the matriarch of the Sullivan family, our “Nanny,” our biggest fan, our best friend, our confidante, our travel buddy, and our heart and soul. She is survived by her five doting sons, Brian (wife Linda), Mark, Dan, David, and Corey (wife Betsy); eleven grandchildren, Brian Patrick, Josh, Kallie, Danny, Tara, Jamie, Sean, Katie, McKenzie, Robert, and Eric; and six great-grandchildren, Neil, Finn, Raegan, Ashton, Bella, and Cameron. Joanne is also survived by her loving brother, Butch, and sister, Janet.
Joanne will be dearly missed by her family and the town she loved so well, but her legacy will live on in the kindness and love we show to one another, and in the service and good work we provide to our community.
The Funeral Services will be on Tuesday, March 8 at 10:00AM from The Heritage Funeral Home with a Mass of Christian in Sacred Heart Church, Suffield at 11:00AM. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Suffield. Calling Hours will be on Monday, March 7 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM and 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Heritage Funeral Home, 1240 Mountain Road, West Suffield.
In Lieu of Flowers: Memorial Donations may be made to the Suffield Rotary Club, PO Box 283, Suffield, CT 06078.
Online condolences please visit: www.SuffieldFuneralHome.com
Born August 30, 1938, the eldest daughter of the late Joseph and Nellie (Backiel) Osowiecki, Joanne was Suffield’s Sweetheart from the very beginning, voted by her high school classmates as Most Popular, Most Ambitious, and Class Flirt (although she only had eyes for her Danny, whom she married in 1958). She returned the love of her hometown through a lifetime of community and political service. A proud New England Republican, Joanne first served as Secretary to Suffield’s First Selectman and the CT House Minority Leader, and then launched her own political career, winning elections to the Suffield Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen, and had the highest vote total in a town election. She was honored for her lifelong service with the Republican of the Year award in 2012.
Joanne was also a huge part of the Suffield business community, and was a Founding Member of the Suffield Chamber of Commerce. Many Suffield residents will remember her for helping them buy or sell their home, as she was the co-owner of Chestnut Oak Associates and a top listing agent for decades.
The charities and community organizations Joanne served and supported over the years include all Suffield Youth Sports, Suffield Women’s Club, Suffield Retirement Commission, Friends of Hilltop Farm, and the Suffield Community Center. She joined a community mission to Haiti to provide dental care to impoverished residents of that nation. Joanne also served as a Justice of the Peace since 1975, presiding over many local weddings and letting everyone who would listen know that she had “married” over a hundred people.
But more than for any of those remarkable accomplishments, Joanne will always be remembered as the matriarch of the Sullivan family, our “Nanny,” our biggest fan, our best friend, our confidante, our travel buddy, and our heart and soul. She is survived by her five doting sons, Brian (wife Linda), Mark, Dan, David, and Corey (wife Betsy); eleven grandchildren, Brian Patrick, Josh, Kallie, Danny, Tara, Jamie, Sean, Katie, McKenzie, Robert, and Eric; and six great-grandchildren, Neil, Finn, Raegan, Ashton, Bella, and Cameron. Joanne is also survived by her loving brother, Butch, and sister, Janet.
Joanne will be dearly missed by her family and the town she loved so well, but her legacy will live on in the kindness and love we show to one another, and in the service and good work we provide to our community.
The Funeral Services will be on Tuesday, March 8 at 10:00AM from The Heritage Funeral Home with a Mass of Christian in Sacred Heart Church, Suffield at 11:00AM. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Suffield. Calling Hours will be on Monday, March 7 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM and 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Heritage Funeral Home, 1240 Mountain Road, West Suffield.
In Lieu of Flowers: Memorial Donations may be made to the Suffield Rotary Club, PO Box 283, Suffield, CT 06078.
Online condolences please visit: www.SuffieldFuneralHome.com