HAVERHILL — When people think of Brandi Sullivan-Feole, an image of her smiling and holding one of her young children comes to mind.
"She was smart, dedicated and enthusiastic and she cared about the children in this community," said Deborah Linnet, director of the Head Start preschool program where Sullivan-Feole volunteered. "She was a very caring and kind person and she had a generous spirit."
A spokesman for the state police said Sullivan-Feole, 27, a Haverhill mother of three who lived on Bellevue Avenue, was killed shortly before 5 a.m. on Sunday when she was hit by a pickup truck on Interstate 495. The investigation into why she was walking on the highway continues. As of last night, state police said no further information was available.
Yesterday, Brandi Sullivan-Feole's sister-in-law, Robin Feole of Haverhill, said she has no idea what Sullivan-Feole was doing on the highway.
Robin Feole said Sullivan-Feole was an at-home mom whose life revolved around her children, Jason Connolly, 8, Felicity Milot, 10, and Abigale Connolly, 1.
"She loved her kids very much," Robin Feole said. "They were her life."
A preliminary investigation by Trooper John McNeil indicated that a 1997 GMC Sierra pickup truck being operated by Raymond Cerri, 47, of Derry, N.H., was traveling north on I-495 in Methuen near Exit 46 (Route 110) when it struck Sullivan-Feole, who apparently was walking in the right travel lane. She was declared dead at the scene. Cerri was uninjured, state police said. He is an employee of The Eagle-Tribune.
A spokesman for the state police said there have been no charges filed at this time and it could be weeks before the investigation concludes.
Yesterday, Sullivan-Feole's brother Anthony Feole said he is confused about why she was walking on the highway.
"We don't know ourselves exactly what happened," he said, adding he was unaware of any emotional problems his sister may have suffered.
"I didn't notice anything wrong," he said.
He said the extended Feole family is trying to determine how to best provide for Sullivan-Feole's children and lessen the pain they will feel with the loss of their mother.
"That's the hardest part," he said.
Sullivan-Feole was active in Haverhill's Head Start program when her son, Jason Connolly, was a participant in 2004. Head Start, a federally funded program that is administered locally by Community Action, helps prepare children from low-income families for future entry into kindergarten while encouraging parental involvement.
"I recently saw her at the Community Action office," Linnet said. "She had a little baby with her and she told me her son Jason was doing well in school. I'm very sorry for her children's loss."
Sullivan-Feole, who was on Head Start's policy council, attended regional conferences and meetings with state officials to advocate for a new Head Start center at the Fox School building.
"She was someone I liked very much," said Linnet.
The crash remains under investigation with the assistance of the state police collision analysis and reconstruction section, the state police crime scene services section and state police detectives assigned to Essex County. The Methuen Fire Department and EMS, and MassHighway assisted state troopers at the scene.
