With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our husband, father, and grandfather, Jack Sullivan, at the Littlefork Nursing Home on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 after years of failing health.
Jack was born in Carroll, Iowa on March 30, 1929 to Frank Sullivan and Berta Phillips, a.k.a. Betty Clear.
He grew up around the villages of Burtrum and Grey Eagle, Mn. before moving on to join the U.S. Army Air Force in 1946, serving six years as a radar operator and also a supply sergeant in the Korean War.
Dad loved to regale the family with his “army stories” and always was extremely proud to have served his country overseas.
After his honourable discharge, Dad was employed at Boise Cascade in the Insulite Division as a machine tender on #4 machine until the division’s closure after 38 years of service.
On Sept. 17, 1955, Jack married Anna Mae Wietecha and together they started a family. In 1965, Dad built our house on Shorewood Drive with help from friend and carpenter, Don Fish.
One of Jack’s sayings was “the only mark a man leaves on this world is his family.”
Left behind is his wife of 54 years, Anna Mae; and their five children, Lisa (Reg) of Fort Frances, Ont., Sharon (Curt) Aaseng of Hastings, Mn., Maggie Sullivan Osman of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., Michael (Robin) Sullivan, and Patrick Sullivan of Denver, Colo.
Jack’s pride and joy were his grandchildren, namely Heather (nee Campbell) and husband, Adam, of Toronto, Ont., Neil McLeod Campbell and his fiancee, Jessica Dyson, of Gibson’s Landing, B.C., Ryan Cameron of Fort Frances, Ont., Airman First Class Nick Aaseng, currently serving with the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan, Cathy Aaseng of Hastings, Mn., currently attending UND-Grand Forks), and Adam Osman of Egg Harbor Township, N.J.; and two great-grandsons, Aiden Campbell and Campbell Kennedy.
Also left to mourn are Jack’s sisters, Letitia (Mrs. James) Bruce and Betty Sullivan; one brother, Robert “Sully” Sullivan and his partner, Juanita Leolich; mother-in-law, Margaret Wietecha; and faithful friend, his German shephard “Duke.”
Jack was predeceased by his father, Frank; his mother, Betty; his brother, James Prozinski; and his father-in-law, Louis Wietecha.
Jacks was an avid sportsman in his younger days and was a former past president of the sportsmen’s club. He also taught firearm safety for many years, was an expert marksman in the military, as well as a lifetime member of the NRA.
In later years, Dad became a custom ammunition reloader, ensuring that every hunter in the family had precisely the right ammunition for their firearm.
Needless to say, Jack taught us all to shoot, hunt, fish, and to respect Mother Earth. Our best memories will always be when Dad took us for a “Hooky Day” to spear jackfish on Black Bay or to go for a snowmobile rid through the woods on a clear moonlit night.
“Blessings”
(Written Jan. 30, 1983 by Jack Sullivan)
I think of all my blessings, more often than you know.
Try to stand them side by side, and count them row by row.
The row keeps getting longer, their numbers seem to grow
But some stand out and catch my eye, more than you will ever know.
They may grow up and change a bit, but still to me they shine.
These five kids and wonderful wife that I proudly call mine
Each of ou were wanted and loved before you finally came
In warmth and love you came to us, your mother chose your names
I watched you stagger ’round the house, before you learned to walk.
And then before I knew it, you had already learned to talk
The games you played, the things you said, I remember best
And how you sometimes took your nap, sleeping on my chest.
And with your small hand in mine, we would sometimes take a walk
Or sit down on the back step, for a Dad & Daughter Talk.
You learned to love the outdoors, the leaves and water blue
And many were the good times I often had with you.
We would fish and hunt together, or paddle that old canoe
Or sit on a log by a waterfall and sing a song or two.
Now you’re grown and married, living in a different land
Your husband stands beside you, holding to your hand.
His love and strength will guide you, daily it will grow.
Hold on tight with all your strength, and never let him go
Keep on walking by his side, through the sun and snow.
So as I count my blessings, when I come to you,
I guess I do what most dads do, just stop and think of you.
For I know within my heart that you will always be
So very loved, and very blessed, so much a part of me.
I wish you well in everything, may the good outshine the bad
Remember me here in my easy-chair, your ever-loving Dad.
Grampa, you used to say, “When you leave, you’re going to leave a hole in my heart I can drive my old truck through.”
We know year are finally flying free, healthy and strong, probably with Grampa Louie in the Piper Cub, hoisting walleyes and telling outrageous tales.
We wish you good fishing, Dad. May you always find calm waters.
Cremation has taken place, and a private memorial service will be held on Rainy Lake at a later date.
Family and friends may make donations in Jack’s honour to the Littlefork Nursing Home.
