Lorraine A. (Ericson) (Gardner) Sullivan, age 99, a lifelong resident of Brockton and Chatham, died peacefully at Liberty Commons in Chatham on December 26, 2022. Lorraine was married to John H. Gardner for thirty-eight years and to Jack Sullivan for ten years.
Born in Brockton on March 16, 1923, Lorraine was the daughter of the late Eric and Alice (Bergman) Ericson. She was the oldest of three children and was preceded in death by her brothers Kenneth and Richard. Upon graduation from Brockton High School in 1940, she joined the New England Telephone Company as a telephone operator where she made many of her lifelong friends. During WW II, Lorraine spent time working as an operator for the military in Falmouth and Hyannis. Later in life, while raising her family, she also worked as a telephone operator at the Cardinal Cushing Hospital, Brockton Hospital and Stonehill College.
Lorraine was very proud of her many lifelong friends, including Pat Flynn, Peg Gorman, Shirley Naughton, June Mullins and Lillian Bloomberg. Together they enjoyed traveling, bargain shopping, playing cards, chatting and especially playing “competitive” word games. Lorraine was also known for her beautiful knitting, quilting and embroidery skills. She took great pride in sharing her beautiful work with family and friends.
Lorraine lived in Brockton for ninety-two years before moving to Chatham in 2015 to be closer to her sons and daughter-in-law. The last eighteen months she lived at the Victorian Assisted Living in Chatham where a wonderful and caring staff made her later years safe and comfortable. She loved her daily rides to the “shore” with her son Peter, and together they would drink her beloved coffee and watch the commercial fishing fleet come and go off the Chatham Light.
Lorraine married John Gardner in 1950 and they had four children: the late Susan Gardner, the late Nancy Gardner and her partner Julia Grant, Peter Gardner and Jack Gardner and his wife Beth. She is the grandmother of seven grandchildren: Matthew and his wife Penka, Sean and his wife Rebecca, Tim and his wife Larissa, Elisabeth, Lauren McNamara, Maia Grant and Regina Grant. She adored being a great grandmother to Bodhi P. Gardner.
Following the death of her first husband, Lorraine was fortunate to find love again and married Jack Sullivan in 1992. They loved their time traveling especially in Ireland and the Florida Keys. She was welcomed into his large family and enjoyed spending time with his nine children: Eileen, John, William & Beth, Daniel & Kim, Michael, Sheila and Kevin Decker, MaryAnne Cedrone, Patricia & Gregory Lucini and the late Kevin Sullivan and his wife Samantha. She shared a very special and loving bond with Beth and William and their daughters.
She was Nana to the Sullivan grandchildren including: Jennifer Bergeron, Shaun, Ryan, Radi, Christo, Patrick, Cathryn, John Dixon, Patrick, Nora Holden, Cathryn, Eileen Rocha, Shannon, Dana, Kristen Swanger, Kevin, Meagan Pettis, Julian Cedrone, Ariana Ross, Shelby Cedrone, Gianni Cedrone, Gregory, Michael, Christina, Stephen Lucini, Alex and Erica Decker, the late Gino Anthony Cedrone and Michael Sullivan, Jr. She was also Nana to their 30 great grandchildren.
Visitation will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte123) Brockton on Friday, January 6 from 9-11am, followed by a Funeral Service at 11am. Burial will be in Melrose Cemetery. Donations in Lorraine’s name may be made to The Family Pantry of Cape Cod, 133 Queen Anne Road, Harwich, MA. 02645.