John J. Sullivan

Sullivan – John J. (Jake), of Glen Head, NY passed away peacefully at his home on June 29, 2022, at the age of 89, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family, who loved and cherished him to the end. Jake was born in Flushing, NY in 1933, the oldest of three children to Margaret and Eugene Sullivan of Co. Kerry, Ireland. He attended St. Mary’s Parish and grammar school in Flushing, where he met the love of his life and future wife, Marcella (Jensen), in the third grade. He graduated from St. John’s Prep in Brooklyn and St. John’s University in Queens, each of which he attended on scholarship. He proudly served in the United States Navy as part of the Naval Aviation Cadet Program. He later worked for IBM in New York City and Long Island, where he had a distinguished 32-year career as a Systems Engineering Manager. In 1962, Jake and Marcella moved to Glen Head to raise their family. In addition to his work at IBM, Jake was a faithful volunteer who read books on tape for the blind and donated blood and platelets to the Red Cross for decades. For more than 20 years he volunteered his services to Abilities, Inc., an Albertson-based organization dedicated to obtaining gainful employment for individuals with disabilities. For those efforts, Jake was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in Volunteerism and was inducted into the Long Island Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2010. Jake was an affectionate father and grandfather, and a devoted spouse who lovingly cared for Marcella during her ten-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was also a dedicated parishioner at St. Mary’s Roslyn, where he was a daily communicant and active volunteer. Jake was a thoughtful and gentle man who profoundly touched the lives of his family, friends, and community. He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife of 62 years, Marcella, and his son Jack and daughter-in-law Meg. He is survived by his daughter Jeanne Lewis (Scott); his sons Richard (Anne) and Kevin; his nine grandchildren (Kathleen, Deirdre, Aidan, Clare, Nora, and Bridget Lewis, and Monica, Marie, and Raymond Sullivan); his sister Mary Ann Lemke; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends in the US and Ireland. Family and friends may call at Whitting Funeral Home, Glen Head on Tuesday, July 5, from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm. Funeral Mass at St. Mary’s R.C. Church, Roslyn on Wednesday, July 6, at 10 am. Livestream of Mass will be available at https://tinyurl.com/St-Marys-Roslyn. Interment to follow at Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Flushing. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Abilities, Inc. www.abilitiesinc.org, and St. Mary’s Church. Please also consider donating blood to the Red Cross in his memory.