Funeral service for Mr. Hilton Sullivan, age 91, of Fayetteville, TN, will be held at 1pm on Monday, January 8, 2024, at Higgins Funeral Home with Rev. Philip Bunch and Pastor Seth Philbrick officiating. Burial will follow in Riverview Memorial Gardens. Visitation with the family will be from 11am to 1pm on Monday at Higgins Funeral Home.
Hilton was born August 22, 1932, at home in Lincoln County, TN, to the late Henry and Lorene Ashby Sullivan. He was a 1950 graduate of Central High School. Mr. Sullivan was drafted into the US Army and served in Korea. After military service, he went on to work as Dairy Herd Association Milk Tester with the University of Tennessee for 40 years, in Lincoln, Giles, and Moore Counties. Hilton had a strong appreciation for what dairies and farmers provide the community, and along with his wife he founded Dairy Days. It became an annual event each June on the Fayetteville Square, and the Sullivans oversaw the activities for 26 years. With a servant’s heart, Mr. Sullivan gave many hours of his time at Patrick Rehab and Wellness Center from its opening until the pandemic in 2020, greeting folks with his ever-present smile. His kind and genuine personality along with his giving nature led to him and his wife being named the first Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln County in the Elk Valley Times poll “Lincoln County’s Finest.” Mr. & Mrs. Sullivan would frequent the local nursing homes monthly, celebrating patients birthdays each month, providing ice cream and cake. Hilton was a member of the Fayetteville Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church for many years and served as an elder, deacon, and church Treasurer. Mr. Sullivan passed away January 6, 2024, at Elk River Health and Rehab in Fayetteville.
Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Christine Gowan Sullivan; son, Danny Sullivan and wife Charlene of Owens Crossroads, AL; grandchildren, Charlie Sullivan and wife Melanie, Evan Extine, Taylor Extine, and Madison Extine; great-grandchildren, Kennedy Sullivan, Evan Chipman, and Kinsley Chipman; sister, Janice Stevenson; niece, Valerie Brown and husband Troy. In addition to his parents, Mr. Sullivan was preceded in death by his brother-in-law, David Stevenson.
Memorial donations may be made to Fayetteville Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1720 Huntsville Highway, Fayetteville, TN 37334.
Higgins Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mr. Hilton Sullivan.
