Vaya Con Dios Seán Sullivan

Yesterday, Seán Sullivan was laid to rest in his Catholic faith.

He was my youngest brother John’s brother-in-law. A real character.

I’ve known him forever. Seán was a year older than me. He played baseball with my older brother Eddie, Steve Horgroyan and Tom Delaney for the NRBL Athletics. They were coached by my dad, who was old school and wore a business suit and fedora to the games. I was one of the younger players on that team. Sat on the bench until those guys aged out to the Pony League.

Seán was a good player. A shortstop. Ran kind of funny, with short strides, like his ankles were tied together, and almost on his tippee toes. But he had a great glove. Nothing got by him.

Those sun filled days of Seán’s youth were commemorated at his wake.

His dad, John Sullivan, took me, along with a number of Seán’s then baseball team mates, to my first Yankee game in the 60s. Sat in the nose bleeds watching the game around one of the steel girders (before the first rehab of Yankee Stadium in the 70s). Saw Steve Hamilton throw his folly floater. Saw the Mick play first base.

But Seán’s real love was hockey. He played and coached ice hockey for decades. A die hard.

Seán also loved teaching – math. He was brilliant. He spent all of his teaching career at All Hallows High School, just a ball’s toss from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. He rose up to be that Catholic High School’s principal, and resurrected its reputation. He single handedly changed the life of hundreds of students.

A lot of them showed up for Seán’s wake and funeral.

I lost touch with Seán until his sweet sister married my youngest, and equally sweet brother.

Then I saw him around their place all the time. And when I say their place, I also mean The McCaffrey Home on Mosholu, as John and Tara owned the house next door and turned the two homes into a compound, where many of the locals came for barbeques and parties.

Always enjoyed engaging in Seán’s wit at the family Christmas parties J&T held every year for decades.

Seán had a great wit. Clever. Brilliant. You never wanted to be on the wrong end of it.

And while Seán was born in the US, he always had a soft Cork brogue, handed down from his Irish born father and nurtured by Seán’s annual trips “back home.”

That deep and indelible Éire attachment was also commemorated.

Oh yeah, that photo below is Seán hoisting the real Stanley Cup over his head. I did mention he loved hockey.

Lisa and I, and our dog Blue, attended Seán’s funeral mass via Zoom. A first for us and a first for Blue. Blue got a little nervous when she saw Lisa tearing up during the ceremony.

Seán had strong, life long bonds with the New York City Archdiocese, so his funeral mass was officiated by New York’s Bishop Edmund Whalen. That’s the Bishop, above, in the white Mitre. I would like to say that I knew this at the moment, but given my present distance from Mother Church, my good friend and devout Catholic, Pete Sheridan, made the identification for me.

Pete – a Harvard trained lawyer – has promised to represent me before St. Peter when the time comes. We’re going for an insanity plea.

The Riverdale-On-Hudson funeral home – the only place the Riverdale Irish will be waked – did a wonderful and comprehensive job on Seán’s obituary. It posted a great photo of Seán as well.

https://www.riverdale-on-hudson.com/obituary-notices/2024/1/24/sean-sullivan

The priest, who I believe may have been the Pastor of the ordinariate, St. Margaret’s (which through absorption of the parish to the south now goes by St. Margaret of Cortona-St. Gabriel https://stmargaretofcortona-stgabriel.com/), Rev. Brian P. McCarthy, actually said the mass. He did a great job on the Homily. My SIL, Riverdale Halloween Partner and ruthless and hilarious Riverdale Gnome War Combatant (yes, I have always been a gnomer), Tara Sullivan McCaffrey, gave a wonderful eulogy for her brother. Tears and laughter. Perfect.

The whole Zoom funeral mass experience was strange. If you remember what it looked like when the Wicked Witch and her monkeys were watching Dorothy and her crew through the crystal ball, it had that Wizard of Oz feel to it.

But as far as Catholic funerals go, Seán’s was first class. Of course, he was bagpiped out of the Church past an honor guard of All Hallows students. I’m sure Seán was thrilled watching it all from the box-seats in Heaven. His seat has a Yankee logo.

It was also interesting to virtually revisit St. Maggie’s Church. Been a while. I had done quite a few masses there as an altar boy before the fall. Including a couple of funerals in my day. Weddings pay better.

Seán was interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Valhalla (Westchester) NY. Again, it is the final stop for anyone who is anyone in Riverdale. My family claims a lot of real estate at GOH. Nice views.

I understand Seán’s (and my) niece, Taylor (“Tales”), J&T’s daughter, made sure that the hearse carrying Seán’s remains, drove past his house, a long standing tradition. Well done Tales.

Seán’s siblings, Tara, Maureen and Brendan, and their respective families, tearfully, but with their heads held high, saw their oldest brother off. My condolences guys.

So, if you are a Catholic, and more importantly a BIC, and you gotta go, you want to go like Seán Sullivan did yesterday. He had a perfect Riverdale BIC send-off. Vaya con Dios, Sean. Or, better yet. Dia leat. Go n-éirí do bhóthar leat.

But any form of funeral always reminds me that John Donne was right, the time will come for all of us, so we better enjoy each day now.

“Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee.”

So, let’s get on with enjoying whatever time we have left on this side of the veil.

You fine, five readers have that last cuppa, get your skates on and get out there and attack the hump. Send January packing with a flourish.

Wave to Friday from the peak.

I’m going to give my kitties an extra cuddle, then do my rounds.

And whatever else happens, let us make today a great one.