Jean A. Sullivant was the second of three children born to Norris and Dora (nee Lutschaunig) Sullivant on
November 7, 1954 in the Bronx.
Jean attended St. Philip Neri School, completed High School at the Academy of Mount Saint Ursula and
received her Bachelor’s degree in English at Fordham University. She subsequently went on to earn her
Master’s degree in Library Sciences at Pratt Institute. She attended the University of Toronto where she
earned a Master’s degree in English and began studies toward a Ph.D. in English. Rather than complete
the Ph.D., she returned to the U.S. and began her first career as a Medical Librarian at Mount Sinai
Hospital/ICAHN School of Medicine. She was published in several peer reviewed publications and was
highly regarded in the field.
In the year 2000, Jean suffered an injury and had to leave work for a brief time and upon recovery,
began her second career as the Librarian at Ascension School, where she remained until her retirement
at the end of the 2021 school year. During her tenure, Jean carefully curated the library to ensure that
the students had access to a wide variety of books to bolster their education and engage their
imaginations. She obtained certification in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and took on the role of
religion teacher to the 3, 4 and 5 year old students in addition to her library duties. She also completed
two additional Master’s degrees during this time, one in Religious Studies from the Institute for Religious
Studies at the Seminary in Yonkers, and the other in Reading and Literacy from Walden University.
Jean loved “her babies” at the school and took particular delight in introducing the children to the love
of Christ. She also loved reading to the children and took great care to select books that were fun, but
also reinforced what they had been learning in the classroom that week. She fondly referred to these
reading sessions as “Dotty Time”.
Jean joined North River Sing, a community chorus based in Jersey City and loved every minute she spent
with them.
Jean’s generous heart, kind soul and mischievous wit endeared her to those who knew her and she will
be deeply missed.
She is survived by her brother Norris (Skip) Sullivant, sister-in-law Irene Sullivant (nee Ricci); niece Kristin
Mainzer (nee Sullivant) , Kristin’s husband Jacob Mainzer, grand-nephew on the way , Baby Mainzer,
sister Joan Sullivant and her sister in Christ, Judy Aitchison.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society in Jean’s
memory.