Happy Birthday, Ella!

Dear Hearts,

February 19th is the birthday of Ella Marie Sullivan Ramsay: daughter of Bobby and Nicole; sister of Jeremiah, Thomas and Patrick; granddaughter of Darlene and Bob and Celia and Don; wife of Charley; mother of Lina and Evie; niece, cousin and friend to scores more.

Ella is thoroughly enjoying family life with Charley and their two little girls in their comfy home in Falls Church, VA. After taking a good amount of time to cuddle sweet Evie, Ella has returned to work at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. She is the Publications & Special Events coordinator and is truly thriving in her work. They are lucky to have this woman whose strong ethics and beautiful communications skills are beyond her years.

Happy Birthday, Ella, and may you have 98 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

Dear Hearts,

February 19th is the birthday of Nicholas James Whalen: son of Christian and Moira; brother of Sean, Connor and Morgan; grandson of Helen and John; great-grandson of Boom Boom and Boompa; cousin, nephew and friend to many others.

Happy Birthday, Nicholas James, and may you have 81 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Aunt Helen

Dear Hearts,

February 18th is the anniversary of the birth of Helen Louise Catherine Wiley Whalen: wife of John; daughter of Boom Boom and Boompa; sister of Mary Claire; mother of Christian, Teresa, Damian, Lisa and Mercy; aunt to nine of us; grandmother of eight; and friend to so many.

Helen and Mary Claire grew up Back of the Yards on the Southside of Chicago in the house their grandfather built at 704 W. Halsted. I picture these girls living a childhood not too different from the characters in "Our Gang." Helen and Mary Claire took up Irish Dancing and would dance on the radio as kids!

She valued education greatly and, as an adult, embarked on a journey on which she attended Edgewood College in Madison, WI, and earned an Associates of Arts degree. She then received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Loyola University in 1949 and continued on to graduate school at Loyola. At this time she also studied music at Rosary College and The American Conservatory of Music in Chicago.

Helen met John at Loyola University in fall, 1948 and the two were married in June of 1950. They lived in Chicago until 1957 before heading to Kotzebue, Alaska; Stevensville, Montana; Red Lodge, Montana; and settled in Missoula where they lived happily ever after.

Helen was a creative woman in so many areas--cooking, sewing, painting, drawing, etc.. And when challenged later in life with cancer, she was a courageous fighter in the face of threatening illnesses. Today she rests alongside Uncle John at St. Mary's cemetery in Missoula.

Watch over us, Aunt Helen, and enjoy eternal life with your beloved and family. God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Ruth!

Dear Hearts,

Ruth and her brother John
ready for Homecoming!

February 18th is the birthday of Ruth Teofila Herrington: daughter of Phillip and Ella; sister of Darlene, Joseph, John, James, Anna, Agnes and Rose; granddaughter of Bob and Darlene and Eddie and Sylvia; niece, cousin and friend to scores of folks.

Ruth is a freshman at St. Mary's and enjoying the academics, athletic and social aspects of high school. She jumped right in and attended the Homecoming with a slew of friends, and is on the roster for the Girls JV basketball team, along with her cousin Sofia.

Ruth means "compassion" in Hebrew, and Teofila is the Spanish name for "friend of God," after her Auntie Mary, Sister John Mary Sullivan, O. S. F. Our Ruth is a happy and kind young lady and a wonderful sister. And as you can see in the photo, she is a beautiful girl.

Happy birthday, sweetheart. May you have 112 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Paul!

Dear Hearts,

February 16th is the birthday of Paul Alejandro Sullivan: son of Bob and Darlene; husband of Stephanie; brother of John, Jim, Bobby, Tim, Mike, Mary, Margaret, Ella and Peter; father of Hannah, Jack, Emma, Liam, Callum and Ewan; cousin, nephew, uncle and friend to scores of others. Pablo Diablo is his nickname for many. He will soon take on the new title of Father in Law when Emma ties the knot!

Paul is the National Corporate Account Director for Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc., working remotely from home. He brings decades of experience and skill in corporate sales and leadership to the job. Paul works hard and plays harder. He'll jump into just about any physical endeavor with gusto while wearing flip flops, shorts and a visor.

Paul, along with beautiful Stephanie, is raising strong, intelligent, faithful, hilarious kids in much the same way that Uncle Bob and Aunt Darlene raised theirs. It's clear that God is first and family is the next most important thing in his life. As the family grows and changes, Paul and Stephanie find more time together to travel and enjoy life's adventures. They recently went to visit Emma studying in Rome and Paul and Stephanie packed in tons of sightseeing!

So, Happy Birthday, Paul, and may you have 73 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Evangeline!

Dear Hearts,

February 15th is the birthday of Evangeline Smoot Sullivan: daughter of Lindsay and Mike; sister of Violet; granddaughter of John and Nancy and Lee and David; niece of Maggie and Matt; cousin of Brandon; grand niece and little buddy to a bunch more!

As a big Commanders fan, Evangeline was thrilled to watch her team make it well into the NFL playoffs last month. Alas, they were knocked out, but Evangeline simply moved her focus to a fascinating variety of her other favorite pastimes. Outside of school, she can be found playing competitive Disc Golf, performing in musical theater, playing the violin, playing chess or relaxing with family to watch movies.

Over the years, Evangeline has consistently shown interest in cooking. With her mom and dad as sous chefs, she has created complex and delicious meals that many adults would be afraid to attempt. And beyond her artistic talents, she is a loving sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece and buddy to her family and friends.

Happy birthday, sweet Evangeline, and may you have 114 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Billy!

Dear Hearts,

February 13th is the birthday of William Harold Lewis: son of Paul and Margaret; brother of Mary Ella, PJ Jr., Bobby and Timmy; nephew, cousin, teammate and friend to a whole bunch more.

At 6', 160 lb., Billy is catching up to his dad's size quickly. He's a sophomore in high school and continues to distinguish himself in the classroom as well as the baseball and football fields. Max Preps, an online high school sports website, published this game review last season: 'St. Mary's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Billy Lewis, who threw for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Lewis has become a key player for St. Mary's: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least three passing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise."

You can get a glimpse of his talent watching Billy's 49-yard touchdown pass here. And keep your eyes peeled--his St. Mary's teammates on the gridiron include three cousins and a brother. That offers a lot of bang for your buck if you're going to watch one of the "Phoenix Sully" kids play football!

On the field, in the classroom, hanging out with friends and going on adventures with family, Billy's kindness, faithfulness and humor continues to shine bright.

Happy Birthday, William Harold, and may you have 109 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Dear Hearts,

February 13th is the birthday of Andrew William Sullivan: son of Tim and Maureen; brother of Brynn; cousin of dozens; nephew, friend and teammate to many more!

Andrew has finished his high school career and is making plans for the future. He is tall, dark and handsome, for sure and sports an incredible head of curls! He has the natural gift of athleticism paired with a very humble heart and we all look forward to see how his future unfolds.

Happy Birthday, Andrew, and may you have 106 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Willis!

Dear Hearts,

February 13th is the birthday of Willis Sullivan Patrick Kimbel: son of Anne Sullivan Daly and Curt Kimbel; stepson of Malachy Daly; brother of Claire; nephew, cousin and friends to many, many more.

Willis continues to amaze us with his physical abilities on skateboards, snowboards, motorcycles and more. In the past decade he has paired those skills with an aptitude in business to create an impressive presence in the world of electronic and social media. Along the way he has become proficient in videography and sound, editing and production and more.

Now Willis has ventured deeper into business by opening up a retail skate shop in Portland, OR. Rip's Co. opened in August of 2024 and the skating community throughout the nation is stoked about it. Check out the Instagram page here. And Piper, Willis' beautiful and smart Border Collie, is still by his side--in the shop, at home, at the skatepark or on the road.

Happy birthday, Willis, and may you have 88 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Susan

Dear Hearts,

February 12th is the anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth Jane Flint White: mother of Whitey; wife of Colonel Red: daughter of Justin and Sophia Flint. According to Whitey, somewhere along the line she acquired the nickname Susan--so altered her name unofficially--to Elizabeth Jane (Susan) Flint.

From Whitey:

Mom and my sister were evacuated from the Philippines in late 1940. Dad just made it out ahead of war on 5 Sep 1941 only to return to the Pacific a year later in Sep 1942. He fought there with the 129th and 148th Infantry Regiments in Fiji, New Georgia, Vella LaVella, Bougainville and the Philippines until wounded at Irisan near Baguio on 17 April 1945. Dad returned to the States through a series of hospitals and was not well enough to retire until Mar 1947 from Walter Reed Hospital in DC having joined the CIA the previous year.

So Mom had a pretty exciting start to married life moving to Texas, then the Philippines, before returning home without her husband of just three years with a one-year-old daughter to wait for Dad's return first from the Philippines, and then from 3 years of war, followed by two years of recuperation from injuries serious enough to warrant 100% disability.

I arrived in 1947 and my brother followed in 1949, much to the chagrin of our older and very spoiled big sister. But Mom ran a great family and we all loved her a great deal. Our four kids called her Oma Sue; my sister's kids called her Sweetie - which stuck. Mom died 3 April 1999 from congestive heart failure after a bout with dementia in Vero Beach, FL surrounded by her kids and grandkids. She was buried at West Point where Dad joined her 7 years later. Together they rest in peace under the gravestone Jim helped design.

Dad's Memoirs are dedicated to his wife of 61+ years. The inscription reads, "I'd like to dedicate this book to my wife, Sue. Much of what I talk about would never have been possible without her love and support. She died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, 3 April 1999. I know she has gone straight to heaven."

Thanks for including her in those you honor as family and in our prayers.

Whitey

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Aunt Anna Rita

Dear Hearts,

February 11th is the anniversary of the birth of Anna Rita Sullivan, Order of Preachers: daughter of Lefty and Anna; sister to Jim, Bob and Margaret; Aunt to 19 of us and our spouses; friend to so many. Aunt Anna Rita was a Dominican nun, servant of the poor, epitome of motherhood to literally thousands of little ones, encourager of immigrants, forgiver of fools, one who loved, always and everywhere.

She was born in Chicago and died in Phoenix on August 18, 2006, in the 62nd year of her Religious Profession, surrounded by much of her family. She is buried in the Adrian Dominican Sisters Cemetery alongside Aunt Margaret.

I have such fond memories of the Aunties coming to visit us in Munster. They would drive up in their yellow Plymouth Dart and come up the front walkway with their habits flowing in the breeze. It amazed me how they confounded my dad, Big Sully, by serving refugees in El Salvador who were trying to re-establish life in a new and strange place in the early 1980s. They lived and worked in danger and it drove dad crazy not to be able to protect them.

Aunt Anna Rita, along with Aunt Margaret, served the Catholic community in Danville, Arkansas, working for ten years to build St. Andrew Catholic Church there. She educated me in nutrition when I had gestational diabetes in the 1990s, and counseled me through genetic testing when I was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time in 2004. She was so smart and so caring.

You all know the story of her "meeting the train" when Big Sully came home to Union Station in Chicago, after the fourth telegram saying he would arrive. The first three, over a three year period, all stated that he had been shot down (which he had) and that he was believed to be dead. So no one believed the fourth one.

Except Anna Rita. She met the train. And the 200 pound athlete, now seriously wounded, weighing 130 pounds, jammed down real hard with what we now know was post-traumatic stress, got off the train, hollow-eyed, alone. And there was his sister, willing to have her heart broken again on the chance that he would be there. He (and she) never forgot that, and held it like the precious bond it is, between them forever more.

Happy Birthday in heaven, Auntie. Thanks for your goodness, your example, your kindness and tolerance, and advice, and your endless love.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Dear Hearts,

February 7th is the birthday of Hannah Grace Sullivan: daughter of Paul and Stephanie; sister of Jack, Emma, Liam, Callum and Ewan; cousin, niece, friend and teammate to a ton of others.

With her bachelor's degree in hand, Hannah considered beginning her professional career in business. After a few heartfelt conversations with trusted loved ones and a good amount of research and consideration, she packed up and went to Wyoming to work for COR Expeditions, an outreach of Wyoming Catholic College, as a missionary instructor. Her work is beautiful, geographically and spiritually, and her enthusiasm is contagious. To learn more about Hannah and her work, check out this link. 

This work feeds Hannah's spiritual needs as well as the call to adventure she has long felt. Recently she led college students on a winter camping trip where they built and slept in quinzhees (snow shelters) at the base of the Tetons! The group went cross country skiing, built a snow altar and celebrated mass with the most beautiful backdrop of God's natural sanctuary.

There seems to be nothing she won't try, and whatever effort Hannah takes on, she does so with grace. It is delightful to spend time in conversation with her and we all look forward to watching her adventure unfold in the future.

Happy Birthday, Hannah, and may you have 100 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Ewan!

Dear Hearts,

February 5th is the birthday of Ewan Paul Sullivan: son of Stephanie and Paul; brother of Hannah, Jack, Emma, Liam and Callum; nephew, cousin and friend to scores of others. He shares the day with his cousin Rose!

Ewan is one of the happiest kids I've met--smiley, curious and easy going. Although I'm not so sure I can call him a kid much longer as he's hit a growth spurt and is stretching tall and growing up. Every year, his birthday falls near the nationwide celebration of Catholic Schools, during which there is usually a day set aside for students to wear their hair in a crazy fashion. Ewan is keeping the Sullivan family proud/embarrassed again this year as the last of his siblings to take a buzzer to his noggin!

He continues playing piano and has become very good, showing dedication, terrific discipline and poise at the keyboard. He's also riding horses and always up for whatever adventure his siblings, cousins or parents want to pursue.

Happy Birthday, Ewan. and may you have 112 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Dear Hearts,

Rose, front left, with her family
on Christmas.

February 5th is the birthday of Rose Marie Herrington: daughter of Ella & Phillip; sister of Darlene, Joseph, John, Ruth, James, Anna and Agnes; cousin and niece of a whole bunch of us.

Rose is a sweet little sister to her seven siblings and clearly has a style of her own. Note how she hiked up her pant leg in the photo, to reveal a her temporary tattoo! She has an incredibly cute smile that surely represents her true happy self. Before we know it, she will be heading off to school with a bunch of siblings and cousins.

So, happy birthday, little Rosie, and may you have 120 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Snaz

,

Dear Hearts,

February 3rd is the anniversary of the birth of Alfred Wlodzimierz Wilkoszewski: son of Romualda and Edward; husband of Wanda; father of Norbert, Alfred Jr., Carl, Eugene, Irwin, Stewart and Blanche. He was called Snaz and lived his whole life in Chicago and was probably the man responsible for changing the family's surname to Wiley. You can see the details on the family record here.

Jim actually knew him and offers these sweet memories:
"It was my job to wake him up with a little bell and walk with him to the dinner table. He would hold my hand and talk a sort of fake language to me, and his white hair stuck straight up in a point like the roof of a cottage.

His wife, Wanda Zinn was the daughter of Josef Zinn and Antonina Grabska. She died in the flu epidemic of 1918. Boompa kissed her goodbye that morning, went to school and when he came home, she was dead and quickly buried in the epidemic graves in the Polish Catholic cemetery on the North Side. He never saw her again, but just before he left us, he sat straight up, opened his arms and said, "Mama, Mama." Then lay down, sighed and slipped peacefully into his mother's arms and the arms of God.

When Wanda died in 1918, Al was left to raise 7 kids. He was multi-talented, played the piano like a maniac, was a bank clerk and a prodigious drinker, and loved to brawl. His 6 sons and 1 daughter all turned out wonderfully, though. He invented a fart machine that he would sit on and embarrass Mary Claire and Helen when their boyfriends came calling. I saw one--it was ingenious, but he never got it patented. Worked excellently. True story."

Please watch over us, beloved ancestors. God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty & Jim

God Bless Jeremiah

 Dear Hearts,

February 2nd is the anniversary of the birth of our ancient patriarch, Jeremiah Patrick O'Sullivan. He is one of our ancestors who made the trip across the Atlantic from Ireland.

To follow is Jim's beautiful story:

Jeremiah was born during a famine year in 1851, the youngest son of ten, to Timothy and Mary Barry.

In Ireland, people were dropping dead in the fields and the English were evicting them and picking them off. Some British soldiers abused a member of the family. Jeremiah snuck up on the English rent collector and killed him with a hardened cabbage stalk. He then fled to Cobh, down outside of Cork city and then took ship to Nova Scotia, on the run. He went inland for a few years, chased by the authorities, eventually came across at Sault Ste Marie on a raft- an illegal entrant- to the Upper Peninsula and down to Chicago, met Anna Meany from Clare and had six children, four daughters, Margaret, Eileen, Mary and Anna, and two sons, James Patrick and John Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was about 5' 9" tall and broad as a barn, though thin in his youth, stocky later. He lost his leg several years before he died in 1930. He had it buried with military honors, honestly, as a member of the old version Old IRA, the Fenians, in the Irish cemetery on the South Side, Mt. Olivet. The plot document reads, "Section 1, Jeremiah P. Sullivan; section 2, 'leg of.' "

If you ever wanted to make Mary Fran scream laughing, you just had to sidle up to her and say, "Leg Of."

Our cousin, Father Jim McKittrick, sent me some documents that had Jeremiah's name as Jeremiah B. O'Sullivan, but the "O" had never been substantiated as far as I can tell, until two summers when I found Timothy’s grave in Mahoonagh parish, Limerick, and saw that it was “O’Sullivan.”.

Jeremiah got us here, and he lived 79 years and did it pretty hard. Here's to Jeremiah Barry O’Sullivan, born in Mahoonagh parish, townland of Cooley Gorman, County Limerick, Eire, on 2 February, 1851, and died in Chicago of complications due to the amputation of his second leg on 6 November, 1930.

They say he was wild when he drank, that he was mean and rough. But he got us here, and he stuck up for his family. And he's my great-grandfather.

Rest in Peace, Jeremiah. Thank you for bringing us to America. God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Jim & Patty

God Bless Romualda

 Dear Hearts,

February 2nd is the anniversary of the birth of Romualda Gorczynska Wilkoszewska, Boompa's grandmother, who was born in Konin, Poland.

She was the daughter of Major Anthony Gorczynski, a Polish officer in Napoleon's army. She and her husband, Edward Zygmunt Wilkoszewski, had many children, some records say 22! Romualda died in Chicago on July 8, 1898 and is buried at the Polish Cemetery at Norwood Park there.

(On a personal note: I would love to see one of our younger generation bring back the name Zygmunt!)

God bless you, Romualda. We pray you are enjoying blissful eternity with our ancestors.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Dear Hearts,

February 1st is the birthday of Peter Michael Sullivan: son of Seamus the Younger and Erin; brother of John, Annie, Kathleen, Thomas, Maggie, Joe, Brigid, Seamus and Patrick; nephew, cousin and friend to dozens of others.

Peter is attending Christendom College, the same school as two of his siblings--Thomas and Margaret. He is a scholar athlete with a position on the school's soccer team as a defender, and is a right-handed pitcher and infielder on the Crusaders' baseball team. 

Apart from his studies and athletics, Peter is involved with Strongholds, a student-run group for young men and women at Christendom to nurture their faith and support each other spiritually.

Happy Birthday Peter, and may you have 103 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Matty

Dear Hearts,

January 31st is the anniversary of the birth of Matthew Wiley Sullivan, Jr.: son of Matt and Wendy; stepson of Lisa; brother of Henry and Georgia; father of Averee; nephew, cousin and friend to a whole bunch more.

We lost Matty in October of 2020. He had moved back to L.A. to begin building a new life. Indeed, he was doing just that--reconnecting with family, joining the workforce and moving toward an independent life--when he was hit by a truck driven by someone under the influence of drugs while riding his bike home from work.

Matty was a hilarious, creative and articulate young man who always offered vibrant conversation in a bunch of different topics: cooking, football, industrial arts, movies, music and more. and it was always endearing to hear him speak of his beautiful daughter, Averee. She inspired him immensely.

God bless you, Matty. We miss you and pray you are enjoying eternal life with your family and friends in heaven. Check in with us now and again and let us know you're watching over us.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Aunt Patty

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Dear Hearts,

January 31st is the birthday of Margaret Poppy Flores: daughter of Lizzy and Randy; sister of Levi and Amos; granddaughter of Margaret and Brian Glick and Kim and Randy Flores; cousin and niece of a whole bunch of us. For her birthday, Maggie enjoyed a beautiful tea party with lots of friends and family.

Maggie has entered the world of "real" school, now a student at Mt. Baldy School in the Transitional Kindergarten class. That means she has joined her brothers and Huffman cousins as Baldy Bears!

She enjoys lots of creative pursuits in her spare time, like gardening, painting and dress up. She knows her mind and shares her thoughts in very carefully chosen words, always with a kind heart and curious mind.

Maggie Pop continues to remind many of us of Mary Claire--they way she walks, dresses, eats, plays and loves those close to her. 

Happy birthday, Maggie, and may you have 120 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty