Deborah Ann Sullivan, 67, of Colchester, Vt., died peacefully on April 5, 2025, after a short illness.
She was born in Burlington, Vt., to Eugenia (Jean Hayes) and Robert Sullivan. She was a graduate of South Burlington High School, class of 1975, and earned her BS from the University of Vermont in 1979.
Deb had a long career as administrative support to consulting engineers in the oil and clean water industries in Texas, Maine and New Hampshire; and in administrative and HR for Howard Center, the City of Winooski and Visiting Nurses of Vermont. But the “jobs” she was most proud of, if you believe her Facebook posts, were plumber, electrical engineer, AV technician, Kitty Kamp counselor and investigator. In Deb’s own words, “I’ve been robbed. While on vacation no less. I was sitting in a casino, holding on to my purse like a grandma. But every time I put $$ into a slot machine, nothing ever came back. I tried several machines. Same result. After much pondering, it occurred to me the machine was the culprit. I wasn’t robbed after all. I was played. Omg, I’m Dick Tracy.”
In her spare time, Debbie baked chocolate chip cookies and Rice Krispies squares for neighbors, friends and every family gathering. Her baked goods were always in high demand. She also contributed to her personal “small appliance graveyard,” never met a purse she didn’t love, had a bracelet for every day of the year and had a remote control for every on/off item in her house. She was always prepared for an emergency, a pandemic or a good snowstorm: Her pantries and cupboards were more of an art installation than practical.
She hated mice, spiders and dirt (as she would say, “Debbie don’t do dirt”) and would be ready to sell her house at the first sight of any of them. She loved “Dateline” and a good serial murder story … and would “see” crime scene tape in the most mundane places. She didn’t understand charcuterie boards and the fascination with them, but the meat pies from Mazza’s were a staple in her freezer. She couldn’t follow a map and on one trip to Pennsylvania Amish country circled the Bronx Zoo multiple times. She was directionally challenged.
She dressed for the Academy Awards and the Kentucky Derby: pearls and sweatpants, sometimes a tiara, but always lipstick and purple hair. She loved trips to Maine (Congdon’s Doughnuts!) with her bestie, Lynn Wilkins, and their adventures at casinos, road trips and making calls from her car phone only after Lynn helped her set it up. She loved singing backup to Bruce Springsteen and any group performing oldies but goodies. She loved the color blue, MSNBC, a good construction project requiring online shopping and the use of a box cutter, and a good sale. She had a love-hate (more hate-hate) relationship with a chain hardware store and a local cable company.
Debbie is survived by her sister, Kathie Sullivan; sister-in-law, Alison Alifano; beloved cousins Patricia (Stuart) Fath, Jennifer (Stephen) Fath and many other generations of maternal-side cousins; her bestie from forever, Lynn Wilkins; childhood friends and neighbors; and her precious cats Darcy and Addie (two of the Quad Cats, who are now living with their siblings Dooley and Hopper). She is predeceased by her mother, Jean Sullivan, and her brothers, John and Edward.
There will be an opportunity to share stories and see family on Sunday, April 13, 2025, 2 to 4 p.m., at Ready Funeral & Cremation Service on Shelburne Road in Burlington, Vt.. Burial will be held at a later date at Resurrection Park in South Burlington.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to A Place for Grace Kitty Rescue, 10 Spruce St., St. Albans, VT 05478.
Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To share online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.
This article appears in The Money & Retirement Issue 2025.