Life Tributes
G. Craig Sullivan March 31, 1940 - Dec 7, 2017
Craig Sullivan passed away peacefully in his home on December 7, 2017 after fighting cancer bravely for a year. He was surrounded by his loving family on a clear, bright San Francisco day.
Craig spent 32 years of his career working for The Clorox Company of Oakland, California, until 2003 when he retired as Chairman and CEO.
He was born and raised in Huntington, New York to Marguerite and Fred Sullivan. He attended Cranwell Preparatory School in Lenox, Massachusetts, where he made a name for himself as a loyal friend and clever prankster.
Craig went on to attend Boston College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1964. He took the university’s motto, “Men and Women For Others” deeply to heart, using it as a guiding principle throughout his life.
After college, he launched his career with Procter & Gamble, selling cake mixes in the hardscrabble neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. He joined Clorox in 1971, where he rose up the ranks to be named Chairman and CEO in 1992. He was a deeply respected leader who earned a reputation for being tough and supportive in equal measure. One of Craig’s many legacies at Clorox was his articulation of the company’s values: Do the Right Thing, Take Personal Ownership, and Work Together to Win.
Following his retirement, Craig served as a board director for Mattel, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Levi Strauss & Co, and Kimberly-Clark Corporation.
Craig’s philanthropic interests ran deep. Along with his wife, Maureen, he endowed a chair in Irish Studies at Boston College and an undergraduate scholarship at Stanford University. He also sat on the boards of the American Ireland Fund, Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, Oakland Ballet, Hoover Institution, the Commonwealth Club of California, and the St. Anthony Foundation Capital Campaign Committee. He was a member of the Pacific-Union Club and the St. Francis Yacht Club.
In the spring of 1992 Craig married Maureen O’Brien Levitan. They enjoyed a true partnership in an uncommonly loving marriage for more than 25 years. Together they pursued their shared passions for travel, the arts, skiing, cycling, faith, family, and charitable works.
None of Craig’s passions was quite matched by his love for family. He and his wife, Maureen took great joy in their combined families: his three children, Annie, Katie, and Mark, and her two daughters, Meagan and Kristin, whom he came to love as his own. He doted on his 10 beloved grandchildren, who affectionately called him “GP”.
Craig will be forever remembered for his wicked sense of humor, integrity, humility, deep loyalty, and for being one of the best people to sit next to at a dinner party.
He is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his devoted children and stepchildren Annie (Oliver), Katie (Joe), Mark (Alison), Meagan (Dale), and Kristin (Richard), his 10 grandchildren, and his two sisters, Isabel and Sheila. He is predeceased by two beloved children, Maggie and Sean.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the following organizations that were near and dear to Craig’s heart:
Meals on Wheels of San Francisco Online donations https://www.mowsf.org/ donate Regular mail donations Boston College The G. Craig Sullivan Scholarship Cadigan Alumni Center 140 Commonwealth Avenue Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 A Rosary will be held in the chapel at Convent of the Sacred Heart High School on Wednesday, December 13th at 6:30 p.m., 2222 Broadway Street, San Francisco.
The funeral will be at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church on Thursday, December 14th at 12 p.m., 2390 Bush Street, San Francisco.
The family sends special thanks to the nurses at UCSF and CPMC, who attended to him with great care and to Lenie, Imelda, and Mario devoted caregivers to the very end.