Horace Howard Sullivan passed Sept. 9, 2015, in Florence, Alabama, where he had lived since 2005. “Sully” was born Nov. 13, 1926, in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended Pike Road School and graduated high school in 1944 from Sidney Lanier in Montgomery, Alabama.
He served in the USCG Merchant Marines as a radio operator in 1945 and 1946 assisting with the reconstruction of a war torn Europe. After serving his country, he graduated in 1949 from Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama, majoring in chemistry. He worked for the state of Alabama before starting his 40-plus year career in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at The Gaseous Diffusion Plant, K- 25, retiring in 1992.
He enjoyed all aspects of athletics as a participant, coach, official and spectator. He looked forward to watching Braves baseball, University of Tennessee football and all SEC football on television. He was an avid golfer and a longtime member of Oak Ridge Country Club. He was a member of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) and the Clinch Valley Football Officials Association for over 50 years officiating high school football and basketball and later serving as a supervisor. He was a competitor and a teacher. He coached many Oak Ridge youth through the church league and city youth sports programs in the 1960s and 1970s often providing transportation for the kids without means. After retirement, he and Ella Mae took up dancing and were members of several dance clubs in the Knoxville area. He loved life and had a laugh recognized by all who knew him.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Horace Joseph Sullivan and Elizabeth Waller Milligan Sullivan, of Montgomery, Alabama; his wife, Ella Mae Hatfield Sullivan; of Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and two sisters, Kathleen Sullivan Gerald, of Hayneville, Alabama, and Becky Sullivan Starr, of Montgomery, Alabama.
He is survived by his three children: daughter, Ann Elizabeth Sullivan Lyndon (John), of Florence, Alabama; twin sons, George Michael Sullivan (Susan), of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Joseph Howard Sullivan, of Lawrenceville, Georgia; three grandsons, William David Lyndon (Kimberly), of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, Skylar Joseph Sullivan and Duncan Sinclair Sullivan, of Clarksville, Tennessee; two great-granddaughters, Sarah Abigail Lyndon and Riley Elizabeth Lyndon, of Vestavia Hills, Alabama; four sisters, Margaret Sullivan Gilbert, of Montgomery, Alabama, Emily Sullivan Hardwick (Fred), of Dandridge, Tennessee, Laura Francis Sullivan Mayo, of Fort Pierce, Florida, and Judy Sullivan Logue, of Athens, Georgia; one brother, Jim Sullivan, of Pike Road, Alabama; and a host of nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 14, 2015, at Martin Funeral Home, 1017 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with visitation beginning at 5 p.m. A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. the following morning Sept. 15, 2015, at Anderson Memorial Gardens, 640 Oliver Springs Hwy, Clinton, TN 37716.
We offer special thanks to the staff at Mitchell Hollingsworth Nursing and Rehabilitation in Florence, Alabama, the staff at Wellington Place of the Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the Congregational Care Committee at FUMC Florence, Alabama, and to the special friends at United Church, Chapel on the Hill for their continued care and support for the past ten years.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Church, Chapel on the Hill, 85 Kentucky Ave., Oak Ridge, TN 37830, or to the charity of your choice. Online messages to the family may be left at martinfuneralhomeoakridge.com.
Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is in charge of arrangements.
