Kathleen Sullivan Marzella

Kathleen “Kathy” (Sullivan) Marzella, age 59 of Apollo Beach, Florida, formerly the Poconos Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully the morning of September 8th, 2026. Born on July 5th, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of the late Michael and Mary (Maher) Sullivan. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Thomas “Tom” Marzella; her three children, Danielle (Andrew) Marzella, Thomas (Taylor) Marzella, and Bethany Marzella. She is further survived by her three siblings, Michael Sullivan, Patricia Sullivan, and MaryEllen Weikel, of Florida (formerly, Brooklyn).

Kathleen attended St. Vincent Ferrer Grammar School & Stella Morris High School in Rockaway, New York. After high school, she worked for Brooklyn Union Gas (National Grid) in Brooklyn, where she met her husband. Kathy and Tom went on their first date to the BEST diner and had a wonderful time. Days went by before Tom returned to work, making Kathy question their date. Turns out, he had torn ligaments in his ankle later that night at a company football game and needed some time off – nothing to do with their date. Eight months later, Tom proposed – eight more months later, they were married, starting our family.

Kathy, first and foremost, was a mom – the best Mom. Her three children filled her with joy, and she spent as much time with them as she could. The three of them came first, no matter what; she dropped everything, at any time, for whatever they may have needed. She made us feel loved, respected, and cherished, every second of every day. We were so lucky. She was the kind of person who always smiled, always found something to laugh about. She treated everyone like family, and made everyone feel welcome. She loved hosting friends and family, spending time outside – in the pool and at the beach. She loved to travel, to see different parts of the world, eat delicious food, and sip a nice glass of red wine – the drier, the better. Mom taught us to never leave a drop behind in your glass, and that life is way too short for crappy wine.

Kathleen was known by her family as “the glue.” She kept everyone together. Since her diagnosis in February, every single one of her family members stepped in to show Mom support and she was so grateful to all of us. She would have done the same, if not better, because we learned from the best. Kathy felt like everything happened for a reason, even if we didn’t understand what the reasons were. She looked for a silver lining, or to try to find some peace in what was happening around her.

Our Mom was fierce, she was bold, and she was vibrant. Our Mom was strong and brave – more so than any of us. We will be forever grateful for the time we shared together and will miss her more deeply than anything else. Her memory will live on, every single day.

Mom, we love you.