Patricia R Sullivan

Patricia R. Sullivan, Lititz, died August 29 at Luther Acres. She was 99.

Born in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late Mary Kreider Sullivan and the late John M. Sullivan.

She was a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and the College of New Rochelle and received her M.Ed. in Speech and Hearing Therapy from Franklin & Marshall College in 1952, as one of the first six women to receive degrees from the institution. She was Supervisor of Speech & Hearing Therapy in Lebanon County in the 1950s and was Assistant Professor of Speech at Millersville State College in the 1970s.

Sullivan devoted 37 years to Linden Hall School for Girls in Lititz, beginning in 1951 and retiring in 1988. For 25 years she headed the Drama Department, inspiring generations of students through theater, and for 11 years served as Director of Admissions. She was devoted to her students and remained connected to the Linden Hall community throughout her life. In 1995, a scholarship in English and Drama was established in her name, and in 2017 she was elected an honorary trustee of the School.  

A longtime leader in Lancaster theater, Sullivan was an accomplished actor and director who played an important role in the development of community theater in the city. Her theatrical career began with appearances at Mt. Gretna in the 1940s. She performed and directed with Lancaster Little Theatre and the Lancaster Theatre Arts Association. She also directed productions at the historic Fulton Opera House during its early revival and was a charter member of the Actors' Company of Pennsylvania.  

A charter member of St. John Neumann Catholic Church, she served two terms on the Parish Council. She was most recently a member of St. James Catholic Church in Lititz.

She was a member of Chi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma and served as President for the 1990-92 biennium.

Following her retirement, Sullivan remained active in the community, volunteering at the former St. Joseph Hospital gift shop, the Heritage Center of Lancaster, the Lititz Historical Society Museum, and Matthew 25 Thrift Shop. She maintained active ties with the alumnae associations of Sacred Heart Academy, the College of New Rochelle, and Linden Hall.

She is survived by cousins Brian Frailey and Monica Kirchner, Georganne and Michael Shirk, Mary Wanca, together with her Linden Hall "kids" whose lives she touched and who remained part of her extended family.

A funeral Mass will be held at St. James Catholic Church, 505 Woodcrest Ave., Lititz, PA 17543, on September 21. Friends may call at the church beginning at 10 a.m., with Mass at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Patricia Sullivan Theater Fund or the endowed Patricia Sullivan Scholarship Fund, 212 E. Main St., Lititz, PA 17543.

Private interment will be at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery.