Sr. Ann Cornelia Sullivan, Snjm Obituary (1938 - 2015)

"And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. . ." Luke 24:31 These words were chosen by Sister Ann Cornelia for her Golden Jubilee in 2012 when she paid tribute to Jesus as the greatest influence in her life dedicated to her family, community, and mission. For more than fifty-three years, Sister Ann Cornelia generously served students, teachers, and families across Washington State as a teacher, administrator, and media specialist. Most recently, Sister contributed her organizational skills to administrative projects and the archives at Holy Names Academy in Seattle. Inspired by her mother who shared her love of reading, Sister Ann Cornelia utilized her University of Washington degree in library science as a foundation to educate others to become user friendly with libraries and technology. With a twinkle in her eye and a ready smile, Sister Ann Cornelia would say, "Just like a good book, there is always something new to learn." Always ready, Sister developed technological expertise to assist the Catholic Schools Librarians Association and the Archdiocesan Technology Committee. For her many years of dedicated service to the Archdiocese of Seattle, she was recognized with the National Catholic Secondary Award in 2001 and the Sister Mary Taylor Award in 2012. To her family, Sister Ann Cornelia is 'Aunt Pat' who would tell a story, play a game, and enjoy a road trip. At Christmas time, her family and friends looked forward to the dozens of homemade candies and cookies, always generously served in the holiday spirit. She treasured the pictures from the family reunion in California in 2015. Almost every day began with an on-line cross word puzzle, putting the librarian's wizardry to the test. When someone needed information about a relative who was a boarder at Holy Names Academy or about what happened to the printing press in the attic below the Holy Names Academy dome, Sister Ann Cornelia would be quick to search her files and produce detailed information from the handwritten documents of years ago. In December 2014, when Sister Ann Cornelia learned of her cancer diagnosis, she faced this challenge with faith and courage keeping her eyes open with the mystery of this journey of her life recognizing the presence of Jesus with her as he has been throughout her amazing years of grace. To send a flower arrangement in memory of Sr. Ann Cornelia Sullivan, SNJM, please click here to visit our sympathy store.