Christine Mary Sullivan, who lived in Melrose all her life and spent 25 years at the Shore Educational Collaborative in Chelsea working with adults with significant special needs, died unexpectedly at home on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. She was 59.
She was born on December 2, 1966, the ninth of the ten children of Timothy F. and Patricia E. (Collins) Sullivan. She graduated from St. Mary’s of the Annunciation School in 1980 and Melrose High School in 1984. At the Collaborative she was admired by clients, families and colleagues for a commitment her family describes as unwavering, delivered with a sassy, fiery spirit and “gentle” guidance. She cooked for everyone, at home on Sundays and at the office, and treasured the family’s annual reunion at the Maplewood Country Club in Bethlehem, N.H.
She leaves her siblings, Kathleen Sullivan of Amesbury, Timothy Sullivan of South Yarmouth, Patricia Miller of Plymouth, Joan MacLennan and her husband Norman of Braintree, Michael Sullivan of North Andover, Mark Sullivan and his wife Laura of Delray Beach, Fla., Maureen Sullivan and her husband Mark Paluzzi of Beverly, Stephen Sullivan and his wife Andrea of Methuen, and Ann Regnier and her husband Scot of Salisbury; and 11 nieces and nephews and their families. Her sister Mary Ellen Sullivan died before her.
Visiting hours are Friday, October 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 West Foster Street, Melrose, with a funeral service there at 7. Burial is private. The family suggests donations to the Shore Educational Collaborative, 201 Crescent Avenue, Chelsea, MA 02150.
Compiled from information published by Gately Funeral Home. Photograph courtesy of the family via Gately Funeral Home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
