Claire J. (Nelligan) Sullivan, 96
ONSET – Claire J. (Nelligan) Sullivan, 96, of Onset, formerly of Winchester, passed away peacefully on July 23, 2026, at home surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of the late Dr. T. Philip Sullivan and the daughter of the late Peter J. and Charlotte (Scannell) Nelligan.
Claire was born on April 12, 1930, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A 1948 graduate of Notre Dame Academy in Boston, she went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Mount Saint Mary College in Hooksett, NH, 1952. Throughout her time at the Mount, Claire took great pride in directing and hosting the college’s signature teas, earning a reputation for exceptional grace and hospitality.
Claire met her future husband, Phil, at a dancing school in Boston when she was just 14 years old. They courted throughout their teenage years and early twenties before marrying at St. John the Evangelist Church in Cambridge on July 26, 1952, shortly after her college graduation.
Claire and Phil lived in Winchester for many years, where they raised their ten children. Despite the demands of a busy household, Claire generously shared her time and talents with her community as a CCD teacher at St. Mary’s Parish, an active member of the Winchester Garden Club, and a board member of the Auxiliary of the Massachusetts Dental Society.
Later in life, Claire and Phil spent their time between Onset, Massachusetts and Palm Beach Florida. Onset held a deeply special place in Claire’s heart. For decades, her summers were defined by the salt air, warm waters, and vibrant community of the Point Independence Yacht Club, where she was a long-standing member. In her younger years, she enjoyed sailing and developed a lifelong love for the water, frequently spending time with Phil aboard the family boat, "Off Call." Above all else, her summer haven was centered around family: a place for gathering with her children and grandchildren, taking joy in their care, and creating generations of cherished coastal memories filled with laughter, friendship, and time spent by the sea.
Survivors include her children, daughter-in-law Elaine Sullivan, wife of the late Daniel Sullivan of Wareham, Thomas Sullivan and his wife Lisa of Onset, Paul Sullivan and his wife Ellie of Buzzards Bay, Steven Sullivan and his wife Paula of Wareham, Margaret Bertochi and her husband David of Winchester, Claire Constantine and her husband Michael of Winchester, Julianne Gearin and her late husband Shawn of Plymouth, Peter Sullivan and his wife Kerri of Winchester, Virginia Giuliotti and her husband John of Reading, and Christine Coughlin and her husband Stephen of Mattapoisett; her sisters-in-law, Agnes O’Brien of Needham and Lois Sullivan of Wellesley; 28 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; many nephews and nieces.
She was predeceased by her siblings, Maryanne Morse, Charlotte Pellisier, Jeanne Sheehy and Peter J. Nelligan.
Service Information
Visiting hours are from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at Chapman Funerals & Cremations – WAREHAM, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham.
Her funeral will proceed at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 30, 2026, from the funeral home, followed by a Funeral Mass at 12:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church, 4 Onset Bay Lane, Onset.
Burial will take place at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2026, at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, 990 LaGrange St., West Roxbury. Please arrive at the main entrance of the cemetery by 11:45 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Claire's memory may be made to American Cancer Society or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. For directions or to sign the online guestbook, please visit www.chapmanfuneral.com.
