From Claire Gavin:

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Lucille was my mother’s sister, born when my mom was ten.  Because of my grandmother’s chronic illnesses, Mom pretty much raised baby Lucille, and the two of them adored each other. To me, born 20 years later, Lucille was the Beautiful Aunt, fun and funny and warm, with a welcoming smile of delight that could change your life.  When I grew up, we began exchanging e-mails, and Lucille became valued adviser and supporter, discerning and insightful.  We shared family stories, jokes, books, and some heartaches. Later we shared the terrors and frustrations of caring for our ailing loved ones: her beloved Paul and my mom, her beloved sister.  I shared every agonizing decision with Lucille, and as always her compassionate insight gave me perspective and strength. 

 

Lucille’s hospitality was legendary, and to illustrate I can’t improve on an account written by my good friend and former husband, Tom Gavin.  In 1973 we set out on a trip from Vermont to Toledo in our VW Beetle and very shortly discovered that the checkbook was empty and our combined resources amounted to $2.50--the result of a series of miscalculations and fatal assumptions.  This pitiful stash was quickly spent on gas and sandwich makings.  

 

We limped our way across Vermont and New York State, and Tom managed to cajole just enough gas to get us to Erie well after dark.  A frantic search of the car’s upholstery turned up a dime for a phone call, which caught Lucille on her way up to bed. Tom’s description eloquently speaks for both of us: 

“When we arrived, exhausted and frazzled, Lucille was at the door to welcome us, gracious and friendly and full of sympathy. She fed us cheese and crackers, beer and milk, and showed us to a soft bed with turned-down sheets. I’ve never felt so instantly comfortable in a home where I was a stranger. 

“Over the years we visited often and felt always the same warm welcome. Some of the most relaxed and friendly conversations of my life happened around the Sullivan kitchen table. When I manage to share with others something of the kindness I experienced from Lucille, I now and then remember where I learned it. 

           
 “I’ll think of her always with love.” As will I and everyone who ever knew her.

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