Obituary of Joseph P. Sullivan

SULLIVAN, Joseph Patrick, beloved husband, grandfather and greatest father of all time, died peacefully in his home in Wyckoff, NJ surrounded by loved ones on Sunday, June 5, 2016. He was 80 years old. Born in New York City in 1935, he was the son of Irish immigrants, Delia and Patrick Sullivan. Joe often recalled with pleasure his early days at Our Lady of Lourdes grammar school and later his attendance at Cardinal Hayes High School, class of 1953. After earning a business degree from Manhattan College, he joined the US military as a Marine Corps Infantry Officer and completed Naval Justice School. After discharge he continued to serve his country by dedicating 25 years to the FBI as an agent specializing in Cuban Affairs. Upon his government retirement, he went to work for Nabisco as Senior Director of Corporate Security. A highlight of this position included his first and only visit to Cuba in 1995. Joe and his wife of 47 years, Donna, raised their loving family in their Wyckoff home where they’ve lived since 1972. In his own words, “It is the underpinning of a loving wife and family that has provided the glue to make my life more than I ever imagined.” His happiest of times included camping trips, world travel with Donna, playing tennis, golfing with friends, and writing sidesplitting Christmas letters. A firm believer that a good laugh and a long sleep were the best cures of all, Joe leaves behind his wife Donna Doherty Sullivan; his 6 children: Jean Spatz (John), Janet Rosenthal (Phil), Joseph Sullivan Jr (Kate), Diane Kellogg (Adam), Danny Sullivan (Margarita), and Kerry Sheeran (Tom); his pride of 20 grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and friends. He will be greatly missed by all those who loved him so. Joe was predeceased by his first wife, Anne Mueller Sullivan, and his sister, Mary Sullivan Duignan. Visitation will be held on Sunday June 12th from 2 – 6PM at Vander Plaat Funeral Home, (vpfh.com) 257 Godwin Ave., Wyckoff. The funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday at 10AM at St. Elizabeth’s Church, 700 Wyckoff Ave., Wyckoff, NJ. The burial will follow at Christ The King Cemetery, 980 Huron Rd, Franklin Lakes. In lieu of flowers contributions in Joe’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 400 Morris Ave, Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834 (www.alz.org), or to the pro-life organization Lifenet, P.O. Box 1800, Montclair, NJ 07042 (www.lifeneteducation.org).