Birthday parade for a “firecracker”
Jul 4, 2020
Janice Daviau, in the front seat, and Claire Gordon were excited to wish their friend a happy birthday from a distance. Photos by: Chloe Shelford
This family decked out the cab of their truck.
Many held signs out their window.
One canine friend came along for the ride.
People waved and filmed the celebration.
Visitors seemed delighted to see each other and Sullivan.
July 4, 2020 is Gertrude Sullivan’s 96th birthday, and she celebrated it with friends, family, and, seemingly, almost the entire population of Parkwood Beach.
As Sullivan smiled and waved from her window at All American Assisted Living, the crowd drove several loops around the cul-de-sac in front of the facility while waving and shouting greetings.
“Happy birthday, young lady!” one friend yelled.
The group then sang “Happy Birthday” in unison, followed by “God Bless America.”
Ahead of the parade, the dozens of cars lined up outside the Ninety Nine Restaurant.
“It’s getting bigger and bigger by the minute,” said Claire Gordon, who has been friends with Sullivan since she moved to Parkwood Beach 59 years ago.
“She did a lot of traveling, and each time she went, we’d have a party after and she’d tell us all about it,” said Janice Daviau, another longtime friend of Sullivans. Daviau also shared one of Sullivan’s travel tips: Bring only old underwear, so you can throw it out as you go and buy new underwear upon returning home.
“She has a lot of fun,” Daviau said. “Even running into her in the store was a party.”
“If I could get the memory bank open, I’d tell you a thousand things,” said Gordon. “She’s a friend that was always there when you needed her.”
Sullivan is a singer who started performing when she was five at political events, perched on top of a milk crate.
She continued singing for years, and performed at many weddings -- including for longtime family friend Jane Donahue, Donahue’s brother Michael Collins, and for the siblings’ parents’ wedding in 1952 at the Lennox Hotel in Boston.
Collins said that he has always called Sullivan “Mrs. Sullivan,” and that she would “kick his butt” if he did otherwise.
Many noted Sullivan’s ferocity, strength of will, and ability to keep everyone on their toes.
Sullivan grew up in Roxbury and befriended the siblings’ father while they were students at St. Patrick’s elementary school.
Sullivan worked for telephone companies as an adult and volunteered for Tobey Hospital for years. She is also a dedicated member of St. Patrick’s Church in Wareham.
While the parade may not have been the big party Sullivan typically planned for her birthday, it certainly made for a day to remember.
