Susanna “Sanna” Olson Sullivan,

74, passed away on March 5, 2021 in Fort Smith, Ark. Her parents, Dr. John Donald Olson and Clementine Hires Olson, and her husband, John Damon Sullivan, preceded her in death. Sanna was born on Aug. 16, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pa.

She married John in 1968, and they had two daughters. She attended the University of Arkansas, where she was a member of the Psi Chapter of the Chi Omega Sorority. She graduated in 1969 with a degree in English.

She joined the Junior League of Fort Smith in 1970, and was a member for almost 20 years, and served in various roles on the JL’s Ways and Means for almost 10 years.

Sanna served local nonprofit organizations all of her life. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s Arkansas Cancer Action Center, the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club, Lincoln Childcare Center, and the Fort Smith Day Nursery.

She was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fort Smith, where she served as the Vice President of the Episcopal Church Women; she served as Director of the Altar Guild; she was also active in other ministries, including the Good Samaritan Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, and the Sack Lunch Program.

She was an officer of the Old Fort River Festival; she served as its Treasurer in 1986 and 1987. She served on the Sparks Regional Medical Center Guild.

She was a member of Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, where she played doubles tennis and enjoyed weekly games of bridge with her girlfriends for many years.

Her mother’s paternal grandfather was Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires, who was the first large-scale commercial manufacturer of soft drinks. Hires patented his root beer in 1876 and over the following 80 years, his company brewed and sold more than one billion bottles of Hires Root Beer. It is still the second-oldest continuously-produced soft drink in the United States.

Sanna is survived by her daughters, Hillary Sullivan Jewel of Franklin, Tenn., and Caroline Sullivan Ferguason of Fort Smith; and her beloved companion Larry McGowan of Fort Smith. She is survived by four grandsons, Robert “Bo” Berry Jewell III and Brown Sullivan Jewell, and James Colter Ferguson and Caleb Sackett Ferguson; and she is survived by her brother, John D. Olson Jr. and his children and grandchildren; and her sister, Diana Olson Rasche and her children.

A private memorial service was held on Tuesday, March 7, at First United Methodist Church and was followed by a private interment at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

Online condolences may be sent to www.edwardsfuneralhome.com.