Obituary of Sheila Marie Sullivan

September 13, 2023

Sheila Marie Sullivan, MD
January 29, 1970 – September 13, 2023

Sheila Marie Sullivan, MD, died on September 13, 2023 in Barnegat Light, NJ from ovarian cancer. Born January 29th, 1970 in Hackensack, NJ, Sheila grew up in Ridgewood, NJ. She attended Willard Elementary School, George Washington Junior High School, and graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1988. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Ohio University in 1992 and earned her Doctor of Medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland in 2007. Sheila ultimately settled in the city she loved for its warm people and its charming character, Boston, MA.

Sheila’s creativity and artistic flair were ever-present. As a child, she assumed the stage name, Sandy Harbor, and recorded cassette-tape talk shows, interviewing imaginary celebrities from all walks of life. Her stage career included the starring role in the Willard Elementary School production “The Day the White House Turned Pink,” in which she played the first woman President of the United States. She drew, she cooked, she created. Through her meditation (and “bed-itation” and “beach-itation”), she found inner peace. She had a wonderful eye for color and an insistence on the highest-quality materials, both of which can be seen in her many beautiful knitted projects; if you are lucky enough to have one of her creations, the item is certainly priceless.

Sheila travelled extensively, both inside and outside the US, with her friends and family. She taught us to see the beauty in other cultures and brought home their treasures for us: French food, Moroccan spices, Italian wine and the pure joy of lemons! Guinness on tap was the only beer she would consider. She was a true Francophile who took many trips to France and Quebec to experience French culture and practice their language; her iPhone language is set to French.

Sheila was a kind and generous soul, committed to contributing to the global community. Following her graduation from college, she became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco teaching English to medical school students (medical equipment instructions at that time were printed only in English) and tutoring blind students. After her residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City, she became a doctor for the Veterans Administration. Dr. Sullivan truly valued providing medical care to those who have served our country. It was of the utmost importance to her that others might in some way benefit from her illness; she and our family are infinitely grateful to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for including her in a clinical trial.

Our family is profoundly saddened by the far-too-early loss of Sheila. She was a devoted daughter, an unfailingly loyal sister and sister-in-law, and an always-there-for-your-important-moments aunt. Sheila is predeceased by her father Peter and her sister Marie. She is survived by her mother Marie Wagner (Bob Wagner), her father’s partner Anne Gordon, her sisters Eileen Sullivan and Moira Sullivan (Steve Cooney), and her nephew and niece Matthew Sullivan Cooney and Catherine Sullivan Cooney.

In lieu of flowers, and in support of one day finding screening tests and more effective treatments for ovarian cancer, our family asks you to consider donating to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Sheila’s name http://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/goto/sheilasullivanmd or the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, via Catherine’s NYC marathon charity: https://diy.ocrahope.org/catherine-cooney .

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