Gerald (Jerry) Michael Sullivan, age 87, of Signal Mountain, TN, died at home, surrounded by family, March 24, 2022, after a long, bravely borne illness.
Born on Christmas Eve in 1934, he grew up in Clarksville, TN, the youngest of six children to the late Teresa and Michael Sullivan, and graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in civil engineering. During his career he worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Army Corps of Engineers, Breeko Industries, and Ross Bryan Associates. For more than forty years he was self-employed, specializing in structural and roofing design; for many of those years he also maintained a farm, created pieces in his woodworking shop, enjoyed golf with his buddies, and pecked away at finishing the home he designed and built.
Predeceased by his parents, brothers Paul, John, and Francis (Pete), sisters Mary and Rose, son-in-law Bill Sutter, and his beloved wife Peggy Wright Sullivan, he is survived by his daughters Cindy Robinson (Ken) Moffett, Jan Sullivan (Hayden) McKaskle, and Edie Sullivan Sutter; grandchildren Adam (Delia) Robinson, Lee Robinson, Anna McKaskle (Stuart) Day, Rebecca McKaskle (Jay) Parker, Meg Sutter (Mark) Slawson, and Tate Sutter; and great grandchildren Boone and Brooke Robinson, Huck, Poppy, and Jack Day, Molly and Olive Parker, and much-loved nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held Sunday, March 27th, at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home, 320 W 7th St., Columbia, TN, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The graveside funeral will follow at Zion Presbyterian Church, 2322 Zion Road, Columbia, TN, on Monday, March 28th, at 11:00 a.m. His grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers include Hayden McKaskle, Ken Moffett, Jim Christain, and Lane Lyle. In lieu of flowers, donations made to St. Bernard Preparatory School, 1600 St. Bernard Dr. SE, Cullman, Alabama, 35055, would be greatly appreciated; Jerry remembers his years at St. Bernard College as some of the happiest of his life. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com.
And finally to his caregivers (Denita Blevins, Crystal Adkins, Lisa Rogers, Aretha Kesler, Debbie Finlayson, Amy Lowery, and Josh with Hearth Health), you have surely received stars in your crown.
