Arlene F. Sullivan

Arlene F. Sullivan Norwich, CT - Arlene Elizabeth (Fields) Sullivan, 91, formerly of Prospect St. in Norwich, died Monday at the Middlesex Memorial Hospital in Middletown, CT. She was born in Norwich on December 24, 1920, the daughter of the late Timothy E. and Anna T. (Murphy) Fields. She attended the Samuel Huntington School and graduated from the Norwich Free Academy in 1938. During World War II, she drove an ambulance for the Red Cross Motor Corps and later worked in Washington, DC as a secretary for Congressman William J. Fitzgerald. Arlene also worked as a secretary for Dr. Urquhart at Uncas on Thames Hospital. On October 20, 1951, she was united in marriage to John J. Sullivan at Sacred Heart Church in Norwichtown. Arlene worked for the Norwich Public Schools for 27 years, as a secretary at Kelly Junior High, Stanton and Moriarty School. A devout Catholic, she was a communicant of St. Mary's Church in Norwich and Sacred Heart Church in Taftville. After she retired she was very active as a volunteer at Red Cross blood drives. Arlene also volunteered at the Dr. Ahamed Medical Center in Norwich, driving patients for the American Cancer Society. She was a charter member of AARP Chapter #3636, and was a member of the Norwich Historical Society, The Women's City Club, and the Rose City Senior Center. Arlene was a lifelong member of Red Sox Nation, and was a fan of both UConn basketball teams. Mrs. Sullivan was predeceased by her husband John in 1983, by her brothers, Timothy and John Fields and her sisters, Mary Whitty and an infant girl that died at birth. She is survived by her daughter Anne Krech of Hollywood, MD, and by her son and daughter-in-law Timothy and Glennis Sullivan, with whom she made her home in her later years. She is also survived by three grandsons: Tyler Sullivan and Peter and Michael Krech, and by her great-grandson Liam Krech. Also surviving are her sister-in-law Mary Fields, niece Betsey Stimson and nephews Charles Whitty and Jack Fields. The funeral will assemble on Monday, April 9th at 10AM at the Cummings-Gagne Funeral Home at 82 Cliff St., Norwich, CT and proceed at 10:30AM to an 11AM Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Church in Taftville. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery in Norwich. Calling hours are at the funeral home on Sunday from 6 to 8PM.Donations may be made to Sacred Heart Church, 156 Providence St, Taftville, CT 06380, or to the charity of choice. For an online obituary and to leave a condolence for the family, please visit: www.cummings-gagnefh.com.