Agnes Roberta Sullivan, 93, Taught in Haverhill Schools

Agnes Sullivan, more commonly referred to as “Roberta,” passed peacefully at Wingate of Haverhill on May 4. She was born in Haverhill and was a lifetime resident of Bradford. She was a graduate of Haverhill High School, class of 1942. Upon graduation, Sullivan achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1946 from Bridgewater State College. In 1951, she received a Master of Education from Boston University and that same year was initiated into the Alpha Gamma chapter of Pi Lamda Theta, a National Honor Society for Women in Education. In 1960 she went on to achieve the CAGS degree in supervision and administration from Boston University.

Sullivan began her teaching career with the Haverhill Public Schools in 1947 as an elementary school teacher. In 1969 she made the transition to reading specialist because of her interest in helping students with reading difficulties. She had a lifelong commitment to public education and to the children of Haverhill. Her family has discovered numerous notes from parents and students thanking her for her devotion, her kind manner, and for dedicating herself to helping students achieve their goals. She was a member of the Haverhill Teachers Association and the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

Her teaching experience with Haverhill students spanned 42 years until her retirement in 1989. Upon retirement she fondly remembered her two months traveling throughout Europe and her trips throughout New England. She also went on to start her own business as an accomplished seamstress, creating original outerwear and dress designs for children. Her love of decorating for the Christmas holiday was well known as well as her passion for baking. Until her later years Sullivan regularly attended Sacred Hearts Parish in Bradford.

She was the daughter of John and Anna (Bree) Sullivan and was sister to Mary Murnane, Ruth Miett, Dorothy Hill and Helen Kilduff. Sullivan leaves behind many nephews and nieces who filled her life with love. Her first sentence upon one of their phone calls or visits was, “Tell me everything about what is happening in your family.” A kind, caring, passionate, and highly educated woman, she will be missed by her friends, neighbors and extended family.

A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 9, in Sacred Hearts Church, 165 South Main St., Bradford at 10 a.m. Please meet directly at the church. Burial will follow in Elmwood Cemetery, Salem Street, Bradford. Arrangements by Driscoll Funeral Home, Haverhill.