Eileen Bridget (Tomlinson) Sullivan, 72, of Springfield, MA, died June 26, 2021, at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. She was predeceased by her husband, Daniel Joseph Sullivan, with whom she shared 34 years of marriage.
Born in New Bedford, the youngest child of John T. and Florence M. (Foy) Tomlinson, she lived her entire life in the state of Massachusetts, moving from New Bedford to Pocasset, then to Springfield. Her last few months were enjoyed in East Longmeadow.
A 1966 graduate of Holy Family High School, Eileen attended Stonehill College before embarking on a very successful career with the phone company, where she achieved status as third-level management prior to her retirement in 1994.
Eileen was happiest spending time with family and friends, wherever there was good craic. She had no children of her own but was “Auntie Ei” to not only her many nieces and nephews, but to a wide circle of friends whom she considered family. She was especially good with children. Those who knew her best knew her love of a story or joke well told. Ei was a voracious reader, enjoying history and biographies especially. Her father instilled his ‘Bridgie’ with a love of sports and she could discuss Yankees baseball and Patriots football at length. Danny and Eileen spent many happy months in their second home in Dingle, Ireland, where they enjoyed the culture, the music, and the many friendships formed. Eileen had a sharp wit and a good heart and will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
Eileen was predeceased by her parents and her husband. She is survived by her three siblings, Mary Leary (wife of John), of Holliston; Margaret Frank (wife of the late Ted), of New Bedford; and Michael Tomlinson (husband of Sharon), of Melbourne, Florida, as well as numerous nieces and nephews from both the Tomlinson and Sullivan sides of her family.
A memorial visitation will be held on Sunday, July 18, 2021 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.