In Celebration of Dad's Life

Celebrating the Life of
Charles Wayne Sullivant
May 27th 1925-Ausust 23rd 2007
Memorial Services
Sunday August 26th &
Wednesday August 29th 2007

“Sully”, as he was called by all his family and friends, was born in Hayti, MO to Vernon Wayne and Nina Mae (Wisdom) Sullivant. He grew up in Webster Groves, MO, a suburb of St. Louis during the depression years. He became the older brother of Colleen Wright Jendusa who preceded him in death. Sully began working hard as a small-in-stature, but big-hearted, caddie at Algonquin Country Club at age 12 and earned enough money to buy his mother her first washing machine. He loved to play golf and sandlot football as a youth and later played organized football and golf at his local high school. In his senior year he placed second in the greater St. Louis high school golf tournament.
Sully went on to study at the University of Missouri during WWII after he was turned down from serving in the Army because of deafness in his right ear that was due to a childhood illness. This was a great disappointment to him, as he desperately wanted to serve our country in that era.
It was during his years in college that he met and began to date Janice McConnell who became the love of his life. They were married in Coldwater, MI on September 5th, 1948. Coldwater, Jan’s hometown was, for many years, the summer vacation destination for the Sullivant clan as Jan’s folks, Carl and Irma McConnell, owned a cottage on Morrison Lake. Through the years, Sully and Jan became the parents of four children: Susan, Mark, Michael and Steven. Sully followed in the footsteps of Jan’s beloved father, Carl, and became a successful manager for the J. C. Penney Co. He stayed with Penney’s his whole 33-year career and retired in 1985 after managing stores in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Sully was a diligent and wonderful provider for his wife and children, which allowed Jan to be the amazing full-time homemaker she was. In his retail management years, Sully was involved in the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs in the cities where he worked. He also continued to be an avid golfer up into his 70’s. Jan and Sully made many wonderful friends along the way and their loyalty and love for their family and friends were always a major hallmark of their character and lifestyle. Sully stayed in touch with many of his dearly loved college and career friends throughout his lifetime.
In 1971 both Sully and Jan experienced a spiritual transformation by personally encountering Jesus Christ. Sully was deeply influenced by an assistant manager named Jim Fraley who was a vivacious and infectious Christian. Jan came to faith by watching Billy Graham and reading a then popular Christian book. Their newly found faith became a new centerpiece in their personal and family lives. They became active in a local church and also in various Christian ministries throughout the years.
In 1986, Jan was diagnosed with cancer. After her initial treatment in Detroit, the Sullivant’s moved back to Columbia, MO, where they had met and fell in love. Jan’s cancer recurred and she passed away in 1989. This was a great blow to Sully’s hopes for enjoying their “golden years” together. A year after Jan’s death, Sully moved to Kansas City to be near Michael and his family where Michael served as a pastor at Metro Christian Fellowship—a church community that Sully made his home. It was in Kansas City that Sully spent his last 17 years and where he loved his way into the hearts of many people, old and young alike. He loved to read the Bible and he prayed continually for numerous people. From time to time, Sully was also able to travel to see his other children and grandchildren. In his last few years, he struggled with various health problems and his social life was severely curtailed. However, his faith in God continued to grow strong and his love for all his family (12 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren) and his many friends never flagged. Sully is to be buried next to Jan in Coldwater at Oak Grove Cemetery on August 29th at 1 in the afternoon.

The picture above is a piece of wooden art that I made as a Freshman in college. I "saw" this image in a mental picture and drew it in 30 seconds and then made it in a wood shop class. It became Dad's most cherished piece of art.