Marlborough – Gail M. Sullivan, 79 of Marlborough died on Saturday, May 16, 2020 at River Terrace Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, Lancaster, MA after a lengthy illness.
Gail was born in Canastota, NY, the daughter of the late John P. and Ruth G. (Humez) Musacchio.
She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Frank J. Sullivan of Marlborough; 3 sons, Frank P. Sullivan and his wife Meryl of Littleton ME, Michael J. Sullivan of NY, David F. Sullivan of Marlborough; a daughter, Karen E. Sullivan of Leominster; 2 grandchildren, Rothery and Damien Sullivan both of Littleton ME; a sister Linda Tosti and her husband Rev. Anthony Tosti of NY and her brother, John Musacchio and his wife Celia of NY.
Gail was a generous, compassionate, and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who always put the needs of the people she cared about before her own. Family was the most important thing in her life and she went to great lengths to make every family gathering and holiday something truly special. She loved collecting things, visiting craft fairs, decorating her house and yard for every season, reading, cats, and visiting her friends and family. She had a passion for cooking, nurtured through many cooking classes and her large collection of cookbooks, and she shared and passed on this culinary passion to all of her children. Gail loved to make things, always having her hands busy with some kind of crafting project. Gift-giving was one of her favorite things. She would go to great lengths to find the perfect and most thoughtful gift and she turned the act of gift wrapping into a fine art. She and her husband were avid travelers. Some of her favorite places to visit were Italy, Germany, San Francisco, Hawaii, Cape Cod, and South Bend, Indiana, where they would go two or three times a year to watch Notre Dame football games.
After raising her four children she went back to school to earn an Associate’s degree from Fisher College before embarking on a career in the sales and marketing office of the Rockport Shoe Company in Marlborough. After retiring, she devoted a lot of her time to her grandchildren, Rothery and Damien, until they moved to Maine. Gail and Frank made several trips to northern Maine every year because it was so important for her to see her grandchildren and be with them for every birthday, important milestone, and school concert or play.
She was always an active participant in her community, as a member of the Junior Women’s Club, the Colonial Garden Club, and the Red Hat Society. She volunteered her time regularly at the Immaculate Conception School and Church when her children were young and served as a Cub Scout Den Mother. In her later years she volunteered regularly in the gift shop at the Marlborough Senior Center.
A private Graveside Service will be held in the family lot in Evergreen Cemetery, Marlborough.
