Judith Ann Sullivan

Judith Ann Sullivan (Ruckstuhl), 86, most recently of Toms River, New Jersey, passed away on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, after a prolonged illness. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Judy was the daughter of Archibald and Mary (Donohue) Ruckstuhl. She grew up in Montclair, attended Lacordaire Academy, and went on to earn her nursing diploma from St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing in New York City and her bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University. She began her career as a registered nurse at St. Vincent’s, later serving as a visiting nurse, working with individuals struggling with addiction, and returning to hospital nursing at Morristown Medical Center.

Judy married Francis Sullivan on October 18, 1969. The couple spent their first year of marriage in Greenwich Village before settling in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where they raised their three sons, Brian, Dennis, and Michael. Faith, family, and music defined Judy’s life. She was a devoted “super-parent,” volunteering as classroom mother, team mother, Cub Scout den mother, and soccer coach. She rarely missed a sporting event, school play, or music concert, where her loud cheering was a constant and beloved presence.

A woman of deep faith, Judy was an active parishioner at Saint James Catholic Church in Basking Ridge for many years, serving as a religious education teacher and music leader. She participated in Cursillo and was deeply involved in Kairos prison ministry, bringing God’s love to inmates at several high-security prisons in New Jersey. Music remained a lifelong passion. She played the ukulele from childhood, sang duets with Frank in perfect harmony, and shared her love of opera through frequent visits to the Metropolitan Opera. Her joyful birthday phone calls, always sung with love, became treasured highlights for her children and grandchildren.

Judy was an avid fisherman and a dedicated New York Giants fan. A longtime season ticket holder, she cherished her memories of watching the Giants win Super Bowl XXI in Pasadena. For the last 21 years of her life, she lived by the water in Manahawkin, New Jersey, where she found new friendships and became an active member of St. Francis Parish on Long Beach Island. There she participated in prayer groups, supported the food pantry, joined a book club, and volunteered each year at the Festival of the Sea. She and Frank especially loved traveling the coast together, visiting lighthouses.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Archibald and Mary Ruckstuhl; a brother, John Ruckstuhl; and a sister, Mary Margaret Mintz. Judy is survived by her husband of 56 years, Francis Sullivan; her sons Brian, Dennis, and Michael Sullivan; her daughter-in-law Christie Sullivan; her grandchildren Jack, Brendan, and Julia Sullivan; her nieces Mary Ellen Mintz and Kathleen Downey; and her nephews John, Michael, and Thomas Mintz.