Evelina (Evelyn) Cantilli-Sullivan, of Yorktown Heights and formerly of Mahopac, passed away at the home of her daughter on Nov. 10 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 77.
Cantilli-Sullivan was born on Sept. 26, 1936 in Yonkers to Maria and Ettore Cantilli. She and her sister were raised by their mother after the untimely death of her father when the woman was just a toddler.
She married Jeremiah L. (Larry) Sullivan on May 25, 1957. In 1968 they moved to Mahopac to raise their three children. Evelyn worked in both retail and office environments throughout her life. She was last employed at Citigroup prior to her retirement.
Cantilli-Sullivan enjoyed reading, word games, writing poetry, drawing, and outings and visits with family and friends. After moving in with her son, Evelyn developed an interest in baseball, becoming a fan of the NY Yankees; her favorite player being Mariano Rivera. In exchange, her son joined her in watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
She is survived by her three children, Deborah of Oneonta, Steven of Croton-on-Hudson, Ginny and husband Dave Miller of Red Hook, NY; grandson Jason and wife Dianne Miller of Nassau, NY; sister Mary Finizio of Port Charlotte, FL; longtime childhood friend Janet (and Ralph) Capasso of Fishkill, NY and a number of nieces and nephews. Her recent birthday gift was the news that she was to be a great grandmother next spring.
She was predeceased by her parents Ettore and Maria, ex-husband Larry, and brother-in-law Ray.
Visiting will be held on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Joseph J. Smith Funeral Home with funeral services at 4 p.m. Private cremation will follow.
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