Ann M. O’Sullivan was born a New Yorker. Her dad, Eugene O’Sullivan of Irish heritage, was a businessman. He met and married a lovely Irish lass, Mary Cronin, from County Cork, Ireland. Mary had grown up on the Cronin farm just outside of Bantry and had emigrated to New York to help a family with childcare. Mary and Eugene started out with a good life. They had a son, Eugene Jr., who was destined to be one of the early U.S. Air Force jet fighter pilots. And they had a lovely daughter, Ann, who would make her own mark in New York City.
Unfortunately, the economic crisis in the late 1930’s intervened and life became a bit more difficult. But Ann enjoyed living in the Bronx and playing with and going to visit her cousin Joe, who lived near-by. Since there weren’t a lot of playgrounds, Ann would play with her friends on the roof tops of apartment buildings. Or, they would go down to an area that was called the “Aka-dac” – a hilly, green space away from the traffic where childhood fantasies of castles and princesses (Ann of course) could be created. Being Catholic, Church was also an important part of life.
After her dad died in the early 1950’s, Mary moved to Saint Petersburg, Florida where Ann lived her teen-age years and graduated high school. Being a New Yorker, she quickly returned back home. A good worker, Ann found a job pretty quickly in the administrative field. She met and became best friends for forty years with Margaret Collins and enjoyed going out shopping and having lunch. Ann also loved to travel and go skiing. But she also took care of her mother, Mary, who had moved back to New York.
Then, she found a job with NBC. It was a job she loved and would stay with until she retired. Every morning she’d go to the NBC Gym at 30 Rock and stay in shape – along with TV personalities like Tom Brokaw. She loved giving family and friends tours of 30 Rock, lunching downstairs, and going to the NBC Store! And Ann also met Pete, a 35 year long friend and companion. Together they traveled to the Grand Canyon, throughout North America & Europe, go skiing whenever possible, and enjoy New York City life.
Ann died August 17, 2020 in New York City. We will miss her love, her humor, her presence. We know she’s now in a place of love!
Reposing Thursday 2:00pm - 5:00pm at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home, 6110 Riverdale Ave. Bronx, NY. Mass of Christian Burial on Firday 9:45am at St. Margaret of Cortona Church 6000 Riverdale Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471. Interment Gate of Heaven Cemetery.