Christmas 2024 Newsletter from Gen, Joe, Patricia & Abby

Dear family and friends,

Much of 2024 was like the previous year, with the usual summer week at Wells Beach in Maine with extended family, and a getaway by Gen and Joe to the same location in late September to celebrate their 62nd anniversary. But there were also changes and the prospect of more to come: Abby graduated (with highest honors) from high school, aced the first semester of her first year of college at Santa Monica College in California, and has returned to Massachusetts for her second semester at nearby Middlesex Community College, with a planned changeover, probably to the University of Massachusetts, next year. Patricia is in the process of moving to live mainly with her neice Jessica while spending weekends with her sister Kathy. That way she'll still be attending programs at Minuteman but, with the help of younger relatives instead of us old fogies, will have more frequent access to fun activities, shopping for stylish clothes, etc. Patricia seems to be adapting well to moving on in this way, and of course we still enjoy her frequent visits and calls.

In February, at daughter Kathy's urging and using her planning skills, Joe and Kathy flew down to Florida to visit Joe's sister Alice. Alice's daughter April and April's husband Sam joined us for one of the days, a lovely get-together that happens all too infrequently.

In May, we had the pleasure of watching the livestream as Kathy received her Doctorate in Education at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, becoming the first family member to earn a doctorate.

In early November, Gen had a fall that resulted in a concussion and hemotoma, the latter greatly impacting mobility. Fortunately her recovery has been steady though slow. She now gets about pretty well using a walker, and we have installed stairlifts for safety on stairs.

Gen and Joe are still technically employed at Duxbury Systems, but are winding down and looking to pass the torch at last. Likewise they are still involved with dancing, to the extent feasible, with the Framingham International Folk Dancers and the Wayside Inn Steppers. But as knees aren't working as well as they once did and especially with Gen's mobility issues, these days it's not so much as about actual movement as enjoying the music and the company of fellow dancers. But those are very important!

A few of this year's better moments are captured in the photos below.

A long-term study at Harvard tells us that happiness is mostly about the relationships that we form -- the people that bear us up throughout our lives. All considered, it has been a year in which we have experienced how true that is. We wish you all that kind of happiness this season and the coming year.

With love,
Gen, Joe, Patricia and Abby Sullivan

Gen & Joe's descendants as of December 2024:

• Anne m. Scott Ronco; their descendants:
  • Jessica (Jess) m. Steven Blea; their descendant:
  • Lillie
  • Kyle (1997-2007)
• Maryalice (1965-1991)
• Peter m. Deborah (Debbie) Call; their descendants:
  • Jacob (Jake)
  • Benedict (Ben)
  • Abigail (Abby)
  • Christopher
  • George
  • Victoria (Vicky)
  • Rebecca (Becca)
• Andrew (Andy) m. Catherine (Cathy) Patrick
• Matthew (Matt) m. Jennifer (Jen) Oxley; their descendants:
  • Fox
  • Tallula
• Kathleen (Kathy) m. Bruce Desmarais; their descendants:
  • Alexandra (Alie)
  • Genevieve (Ginny)
  • Jed
• Patricia