Marianne (Nix) Sullivan

Marianne (Nix) Sullivan passed away peacefully on Friday morning, February 3, 2017 at the age of 87. A Sarasota resident since 1968, Marianne was the wife of the late Dr. John E. Sullivan, Sr. She is survived by her seven children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Christmas Eve 1929, the youngest of six children. Her father, the Rev. Alva Putnam Jones, was a circuit-riding Methodist minister and a Temperance advocate. Her mother, Mary Ethel Harrison, was an organist, choir director, and a graduate of Cottey College, Missouri. At the age of two, her Father died and the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Her Mother's later remarriage moved the family to Akron, Ohio, where Marianne graduated from Buchtel High School and attended the University of Akron. In the mid-1950s she became a flight attendant with United Airlines, eventually based in New York City. It was there in 1961 that she met John Sullivan of Des Moines, Iowa, a physician and single father of six children. The couple married in 1963 and soon welcomed a seventh child to the family. The Sullivans moved to Sarasota in 1968. As Dr. Sullivan established his medical practice from patients he treated in the emergency room of Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Marianne involved herself with raising the family and volunteering in the community. Marianne loved cooking and entertaining, interior design, traveling, photography and the arts. She enjoyed the Sarasota jazz scene with her husband, who often sat in with his tenor saxophone at local jam sessions. She was a member of the "Lunch Bunch," an informal group of doctors' wives who met every week for more than 30 years. She served as a docent at the Ringling Museum of Art and was a member and officer of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. She was married to her loving husband, John E. Sullivan, Sr. M.D., for over 48 years until his passing in October 2011. She was also pre-deceased by her five siblings: Vonda Flo E. Ray, Vera Kay, Helen Terry, Margaret Lord, and Colonel James F. A. Jones. Survivors include her 7 children: Ella (John) Johnson, Julie Sullivan, John E. "Jack" (Sue) Sullivan, Jr. M.D., Gary Sullivan, Greg Sullivan, Betsy (Patrick) Smith, Christopher Sullivan; her 9 grandchildren: John Johnson III, Katie (Phil) Berne, David Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Timothy Guidry, Luci Sullivan, Mili Sullivan, Matthew Smith, Andrew Sullivan; and her 1 great-grandson, Jack W. Berne, plus many nieces and nephews. The Sullivan family wishes to thank the doctors, nurses and caregivers who provided warm and compassionate care to their Mother. The family will receive visitors on Saturday, February 11, 2017 from 1pm to 3pm at Toale Brothers Colonial Chapel, 40 North Orange Avenue, Sarasota, with Memorial Prayer Service at 2:00 pm. A funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 am on Tuesday, February 14, 2017 in the Chapel of The Church of the Incarnation, 2901 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Internment will follow at 11:30am at the Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72 (Clark Road), Sarasota, Florida.

Tributes

Marianne (Nix) Sullivan

December 24, 1929 - February 3, 2017