William R. Sullivan

Haverhill:  William R. Sullivan, Sr., an attorney in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for over 55 years, died Friday, February 3, 2012, at Wingate at Haverhill, surrounded by his family, following a period of declining health.

Born in Boston in 1928, Bill was the son of the late Denis and Mary (Henigan) Sullivan.  He grew up in Malden and graduated from Malden Catholic High School with the Class of 1946. Bill received his BSE in Electrical Engineering from Catholic University in 1950, where he was also a member of the fraternity Phi Kappa Omega, whose reunions he often attended.  He later served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict , eventually going on to obtain his law degree from Boston College Law School. Bill began his professional career at Sylvania and CBS Hytron, where he contributed to the development of the first color television.

A resident of Wakefield, MA for thirty-one years, Bill established his law practice there in 1956 before relocating to Haverhill in 1999. Bill served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for eminent domain cases from 1959 -1962 under the late Massachusetts Attorney General, Edward J. McCormack, Jr.  He was a longtime member of the Wakefield Democratic Town Committee, and eventually ran for state Senate.  Bill was also a member of the Mass. Bar Association and a former member and Past-President of the First District Eastern Middlesex Bar Association.  He was also a 4th Degree member of Council #104 of the Knights of Columbus and a longtime member of Bear Hill Golf Club.  Bill was especially proud of his role as a member of the Holy Name Society at St. Joseph's Parish in Wakefield.

Bill is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, Margaret (Noe) Sullivan, three sons and daughters-in-law, Attorney William R. Sullivan, Jr. and his wife Attorney Catherine Patrick Sullivan of Haverhill; Attorney Denis J. Sullivan and his wife Joan of Melrose; and Attorney Richard C. Sullivan and his wife Jean of Indianapolis, IN; as well as his two daughters and sons-in-law, Marianne Sullivan Wallach and her husband Andrew of Mequon, WI; and Dr. Meg Sullivan and her husband Dr. Mark Furman of Sudbury, MA.  Bill also leaves twenty grandchildren, one great granddaughter and several close cousins.

Bill will always be remembered by his wife and children as a brilliant lawyer with a sharp sense of humor.  A fan of all Boston sports and especially the Red Sox, Bill worked as a hot dog vendor at Fenway Park during his high school years and later played semi-professional baseball as a catcher for the former St. Louis Browns.  His love of baseball carried on throughout his life, as he coached his children and several CYO baseball teams.

Bill's love of golf and tennis carried on in his children and grandchildren, whom he coached and with whom he played in countless tournaments.  Even at Wingate, as Bill's health declined, cable television was brought in to accommodate his affection for the Red Sox and the PGA.  Bill's love of church and sports further combined with his Irish upbringing to fuel his ardent support of the University of Notre Dame, from which three of his five children, and one grandson, graduated.  

The family would like to thank the staffs of Beacon Hospice and Wingate at Haverhill for all their care and support.

Relatives and friends may call on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home, 116 Main St., Route 121A, Plaistow, NH. His funeral will begin on Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. from the funeral home with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in All Saints Church, 120 Bellevue Avenue, Haverhill. Burial with military honors will be in Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Donations in Bill's name may be made to Catholic University of America, Office of University Development, P.O. Box 91481, Washington, D.C. 20077-7699. For directions or to place a condolence to the family, please visit our website at www.brooksidechapelfh.com.