Happy Birthday, Grace!

Dear Hearts,

It's rare to find a photo
of Grace in which she
is not hugging a sister!

June 7th is the birthday of Grace Vaucher Huffman: daughter of Kate and Ryan; sister of Caroline and June; granddaughter of Mike and Joan Sullivan and Mike and Susan Huffman; niece, cousin and friend to a whole bunch of lucky people. She still has the most adorable curly hair I've ever seen!

Grace may as well have been the model for the Fearless Girl statue the stands in front of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. She, Grace, goes through life with her chin up and oftentimes with her hands on her hips. She is ferocious in everything she does--playing soccer, working through a school project or loving her family.

Happy birthday Gracie, and may you have 117 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, Jim!

Dear Hearts,

June 7th is the birthday of James Patrick Sullivan, Jr.: son of Jim and Mary Claire; brother of Mary Fran, John, Mike, Matt, Anne, Jerry, Margaret and Patty; father of Jim III, Mickey, Miles, Amos and Franny; husband of Bitsy; grandfather to Oscar, Beatrice, Lucille, Maeve, James, Silas, Roman, Marcos and Carmen, as well as those on Bitsy's side; uncle, cousin, nephew, classmate and friend to hundreds more. He's also known as Papa Sully, Seamus the Older and Sully. He is proud to share this day in history with those who fought on the shores of France on D-Day in 1944.

Our brother Mike offers this:

"Today (June 6) marks a heroic day in our country's history. For on this day, American citizen/ soldiers landed in Normandy upon incredible assault from the Nazis. Within 8 months, those soldiers, airmen from the Army Air Corps, the Army Airborne, and all others from staff to resistance, laid waste to the bad boys. They came, they saw, and they conquered. Big Jim Sullivan (our dad) ran a mission over Omaha beach that day.

Three years later, a boy was born on the south side of Chicago. His name was Jim and he belonged to Jim Sullivan from the Army Air Corps who had lay the Nazi's to waste 3 years earlier. Today is his 76th birthday. He's my big brother, along with 7 others (2 deceased). He is a mensch, a warrior, courageous, always loyal, always there, always my best friend, and always a voice of solace and wisdom. Happy birthday, Jim."

Jim has been the glue that holds people together, whether they are his classmates at West Point or our greater Sullivan/Wiley clan. He is a force of goodness--tender with little children, steadfast in his work, unwavering in his faith and loyal as the day is long. Like a few of our ancestors he has so eloquently described in the past, Jim is larger than life. We all know him, we all love him, and our lives are richer because of him.

So, happy birthday Papa Sully, and may you have 49 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, Pattissima

Happy Birthday, Kerry!

Dear Hearts,

June 3rd is the birthday of Jim's classmate/brother and dear friend, Kerry Lawrence: husband of Kat, our Sheehan cousin, and the author of the West Point Class of 1970 Constitution. He is that class's James Madison, a highly respected attorney and a man his classmates all turn to for sound counsel and a clear head and a level, brave take on life.

Kerry is a construction attorney in the Seattle area but more than that--he is an experienced mediator, arbitrator and dispute resolution expert. He, like Jim, is a faithful friend and classmate who keeps in touch with his West Point alumni. He and Kat cherish their family and are proud grandparents too!

Happy Birthday, Kerry, and may you have 49 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, Randy!

Dear Hearts,

June 3rd is the birthday of Randy Flores: son of Kim and Big Randy; brother of Corey and Katie; husband of Lizzy; father of Levi, Amos and Maggie; son-in-law to Margaret and Brian; uncle, nephew, cousin and friend to many, many more. Randy is still one of the nicest guys I know.

He works as a field technician for Siemens, replacing and repairing major pieces in our infrastructure, like traffic lights. Certified to work a crane, he proves himself to be indispensable to his professional team. His work ethic is as sturdy as they come, matched only by his good attitude about the job that needs doing.

You can find him on the soccer field as a referee for his sons' games, in the yard fine-tuning the large chicken coop he built, at the kitchen table discussing Star Wars scenes with his sons, or in the ocean surfing when time permits. He is also compelled to do just about whatever his sweet Maggie demands of him.

Happy Birthday, Randy, and may you have 84 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, Seamus!

Dear Hearts,

June 3 is the birthday of Seamus Sullivan: son of Mike and Shelly; brother of Jake, Mia, Gus, Sofie, Nelly and Max; grandson of Bob, Darlene, Don and Judy; nephew, cousin, teammate and friend to scores more.

Seamus continues his studies in Business Administrations and Management at the University of Dallas, where he attends with several Sully cousins. Outside the lecture hall he's a physical specimen--strong and fast. He's also as sweet as honey, polite, faithful, compassionate and funny as heck.

Happy Birthday, Seamus, and may you have 104 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

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

Love, Patty

God Bless Lefty

Dear Hearts,

May 31st is the anniversary of the birth of John Jeremiah "Lefty" Sullivan: our patriarch, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great-grandfather. He was born in Chicago in 1893 and died on July 7, 1958.

He was the youngest of six, second brother, son of Jeremiah Barry O’Sullivan from Limerick, and Anna Meany from Clare. At 5' 10" tall and 185 lbs., John was a graceful athlete who was awarded a scholarship to play football at Notre Dame as a split end--today's wide receiver. John turned it down to sign with the White Sox in about 1911. He played in the minor league system until WWI broke out.

He was the first generation of us born here, and the first of us to go into the U.S. Army. Three generations of his descendants have since served in that same Army. John was in a cavalry unit and shortly after he reported to the front line the Armistice was signed.

Back home, his rookie year in the big leagues was 1919, the year of the Black Sox scandal. He appeared four times. After that, the Sox were busted up and Lefty pitched semi-pro ball for 25 more years. You can read an extensive article about Lefty on the Society of American Baseball Research website here.

He met and married Anna Conick--who we called Booma or Mom--and started their family. Although they lived in Chicago, my dad, James P. Sullivan Sr., was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, as Left was playing up there when Booma went into labor unexpectedly.

After baseball, he worked selling insurance in Chicago, playing pool in the summers to feed the family and ran unsuccessfully for alderman. He always wore a white shirt and a tie, shined his shoes and sported clean fingernails.

He died on July 7, 1958 of a heart attack in Chicago a man loved by many and missed by all. God bless you, Lefty. Please keep on eye on us all until we meet, God willing, in heaven.

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

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Maureen!

Dear Hearts,

May 29th is the birthday of Maureen Sullivan: wife of Tim; mother of Brynn and Andrew; daughter of Phyllis and Andrew; sister, aunt, daughter, cousin and friend to so many more. While another year has passed, Maureen does not seem to age--she is as beautiful as ever!

Mo continues to entertain and educate through her intelligence, wit and admirable faith. Through the challenges of chronic medical issues, she sees goodness in suffering. Whether we know it or not, we all benefit from Maureen's indomitable prayer life. Thank you, Mo.

Born and raised in Mahwah, NJ, she'll gives anyone a run for their money in a debate. She is a grad of the University of Dallas and a student of the great philosophical minds of the Church. She is glad to be living in So. Cal., just a stone's throw from the beach.

Happy birthday, Mo, and may you have 75 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