Mary R. Sullivan, born Mary Drusilla Robinson, joined her loved ones in Heaven on Friday, August 19, 2022, at the age of 95. She was born in Fort Meade, FL on November 29, 1926, and she was the youngest of Henry Robinson and Lillie Beatrice Warnock’s seven children. She grew up in Okeechobee, FL, where her father owned and operated a fish camp on Lake Okeechobee near the mouth of the Kissimmee River. As a young adult, she took a job as an airplane mechanic at Hendricks Army Airfield in Sebring, FL, where she assembled and repaired planes to serve during World War II. She married Edward Richardson, a fellow airplane mechanic working at Hendricks Army Airfield, in Highlands, FL, just outside of Sebring, on July 15, 1945. They had three children: Edward “Ted” Guignard Richardson, born May 13, 1946; Mary Margaret “Peggy” Richardson, later Peggy Bell, born January 29, 1949; and Elizabeth “Liz” Ann Richardson, later Elizabeth Richardson Bowen, born May 1, 1955. When her husband passed away shortly before the birth of their third child, Mary returned to work, taking a job as a typist at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL, where she worked from 1955 to 1972.
Mary’s great fondness for — and genuine interest in — the people around her made an indelible impression upon the many lives she touched and the communities in which she worked and lived. A social butterfly who rarely touched down for long, she was forever flitting between family gatherings, social events, and travel both domestic and international. She gave liberally of her time and energy as a babysitter for family and friends, a volunteer at Winter Park Memorial Hospital and especially its White Elephant Thrift Store, and a caring friend to her neighbors in Winter Park, FL, and at the Plymouth Apartments in particular. She never lost touch with her country roots, readily on display in the delight she took in gardening, fishing, and birdwatching. She instilled in her children and grandchildren her great love for games and puzzles, whether they took the form of Skip-Bo or gin rummy, Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune, crossword puzzles, or the latest mystery novel on hold for her at the local library, where she was known as a voracious reader. She drank deeply of life’s pleasures, and though her life was touched by loss, she chose to live in the moment rather than to dwell on sad occasions, brightening the lives of those fortunate enough to share in her vivacity, playful spirit, love of music, gift for conversation, and lust for life. She was, and still is, greatly loved and will be dearly missed by her family and friends.
Though her eldest son, Ted, predeceased her after a long battle with cancer, Mary is survived by her children, Peggy Bell and Elizabeth Bowen; her grandchildren, Lisa Richardson Anastasi, Ashley Richardson, Jennifer Bell, Edward Mead Bowen, and Richard Tyler Bowen; her great-grandchildren, Nathan Anastasi and Emilia Anastasi; and many other nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
Mary’s family held a private memorial service at Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home (Goldenrod) on Friday, August 26, and she will be laid to rest at Glen Haven Memorial Park, located at 2300 Temple Dr, Winter Park, FL, 32789. In lieu of sending flowers or cards, her family requests that those wishing to pay their respects or express their condolences consider making a donation in her name to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Audubon Society, or the National Brain Tumor Society.
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