Mary Lane Bryan Sullivan

Mary Lane Bryan Sullivan died peacefully on March 12, 2026, in Dallas at age eighty-nine, surrounded by her family. An Atlantan who lived nearly all her adult years in Cleveland, her rich life included a loving family with her husband and three children, countless dear friends, a career as an occupational therapist, and an active cultural life. Born in Atlanta on December 10, 1936, Mary Lane was the second of three children of William Wright Bryan and Ellen Hillyer Newell Bryan. She was a fifth-generation Atlantan in a family with deep Georgia roots that highly valued education, books, storytelling, and fun. Mary Lane attended E. Rivers School and Northside High School, then moved to Cleveland when her father became editor of The Plain Dealer. Mary Lane followed her mother, her aunt Ann Lane Newell Whatley, and her sister to Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where she majored in religion and made lifelong friends. A college summer working with Navajo children at an Episcopal mission near Window Rock, Arizona, was a formative experience. Following her graduation, Mary Lane studied occupational therapy at Columbia University in New York. Returning to Cleveland, she fell in love with John Keeley Sullivan, an attorney. For the nearly 60 years Mary Lane and John were married, they made their family home in a beautiful, historic-landmark Cleveland Heights carriage house. The home and its garden were a magical place to raise their three children and the setting for wonderful parties, often with multiple generations of friends. From trips to Ireland with young children to walking the Camino de Santiago, Mary Lane and John shared a passion for travel adventures. They spent happy days at Sea Island, Georgia, at her family’s longtime vacation home, High Tide, Cottage 44. Mary Lane took great joy in working with babies and children as a pediatric occupational therapist and an infant massage instructor. She had an ebullient, joyful and generous spirit that was a gift to all around her. She was an extraordinary wife, mother and grandmother. She nurtured, encouraged and supported others. She treasured remarkable deep friendships throughout her life. She enjoyed cultural offerings including museums, concerts, theaters, and libraries. She loved to swim, hike, and garden. Following John’s death in 2021, Mary Lane moved to Washington, D.C., and later to C.C. Young Senior Living in Dallas, making new friends and rekindling old friendships in both places. She was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights and numerous organizations including the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Garden Club of Cleveland, the Print Club of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Skating Club. Mary Lane was predeceased by her husband, John; her sister, Newell Bryan Tozzer; and her brother, William Wright Bryan, Jr. She is survived by her three children — David Bryan Sullivan (Deana Jordan Sullivan), of Washington, D.C., William Wright Bryan Sullivan (Polly Ligon Sullivan), of Inman, South Carolina, and Keeley Sullivan Jurgovan (Jon Jurgovan), of Dallas, Texas — her grandchildren (Caroline Elizabeth Sullivan, Gene Aiden Jeter, Forrest Hillyer Quaid Sullivan, Casey O’Grady, Jon Hillyer Jurgovan, Henry Colquitt Jurgovan, William Lane Jurgovan, Benjamin Pavel Sullivan, and Eoin Jordan Sullivan), and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service will be held on July 25 at 10 a.m. at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, following earlier services in Dallas and Atlanta, where Mary Lane’s remains were buried next to her husband’s in her family plot at Historic Oakland Cemetery. Her family welcomes donations in her memory to Sweet Briar College (www.sbc.edu) or the Parkinson’s Foundation (www.parkinson.org).

Mary Lane Bryan Sullivan

December 10, 1936 - March 12, 2026