John James Sullivan
Resident of Woodside
John James Sullivan, (Jack) 82, of Woodside, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his large and loving family on Saturday, May 23, 2020. He is survived by Joan, his beloved wife and best friend of 60 years. He lived life to the fullest and was a positive and generous person, always willing to take a leadership role and to share his talents and gifts with others. Jack was born on August 19, 1937 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the eldest son of James F. Sullivan and Anna Wikar. As a young boy, he moved to Alhambra where he grew up attending Mission San Gabriel High School. He was accepted into Santa Clara University where the experience would have a significant impact on his life path and he remained involved with the University community throughout his life. He earned a degree in Accounting and Philosophy (‘59) and later returned for his MBA (‘76). He was President of the business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, a member of the Varsity Boxing team, and long time Bronco Bench Member.
It was at Santa Clara that he met and married the love of his life, Joan Baxter, of San Francisco. Jack and Joanie would regularly attend Santa Clara sporting events and went on to donate the Aquatic Center as a gift of their appreciation for his Jesuit education. They married at the Mission in 1959 and moved to Fort Ord, California to begin their life in the US Army. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant and would go on to become a Company Commander of army infantry men. Upon completion of service, they made their home in the Bay Area—first in San Jose, and then in Woodside. His greatest joy and legacy was his large family, which he loved deeply. They raised six children, three daughters and three sons, and cherished their time spent together traveling the world, attending sporting events and enjoying their home in Lake Tahoe. He was a true Renaissance Man and loved music, playing and singing the blues on the piano, reading and writing poetry. Jack, started working in the financial service industry at Dean Witter, making the transition to the management side as President, of Western Asset Bank and ultimately co-founding the investment firm, Harris, Bretall, Sullivan and Smith where he had a very long and successful career. He was a Board Member of the Security Analysts, a Chartered Financial Analyst, a member of the National Association of Business Economists and recipient of many accolades. He belonged to multiple organizations and served on several Boards over his life including: The Olympic Club, The Family Club, The Palo Alto Club, and Menlo Country Club. As a lifelong Catholic with his wife Joan, he was an active parishioner of Our Lady of the Wayside, St. Pius and Queen of Apostles. He held a great devotion to Mary, traveling to Medjugorhe, Fatima and Lourdes. Together, they built a church in India and he was generous with both his time and treasure in serving his great faith. He continued to grow personally and intellectually throughout his life showing leadership traits of wisdom, loyalty, courage, compassion and embracing the concept of teamwork. He used his gifts to help others and was a mentor to many. One of his favorite sayings included: “If I’m standing, you’re standing”.
In addition to his wife, Jack is survived by his six children Susan Foley, (Sean), James (Lisa), Brigit Karle (Dennis) and Jacqueline, Christopher and Patrick. A highlight of his life for the last 36 years has been his role of “Papa” to his fourteen grandchildren, Thomas (Masha), Jessica (Michael) and Jack (Lindsay) Foley, Monika, Daniel and Michael Sullivan, Ryan and Lindsay Karle, Luke, Colin and Kelsey Sullivan, John, Xabier and Matthew Sullivan and great grandchildren, Sasha and Mila Foley and Jack Bonner. He is also survived by his sister Rena Ann Shafer. His dog, O’rourke, will miss his best friend. He is predeceased by his sister Joan Duclos. He lived well, laughed often, and was well loved. We are grateful for the time we had together. He will be dearly missed but forever in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Santa Clara University Scholarship Fund of Jack/joan Sullivan - 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053-1400 or to Stanford Hospital memo line Dr. Ranjana Advani, Stanford Cancer Center Room CC2338, mail code “MC6556”, 875 Blake Wilbur Dr. Stanford, CA 94304. Due to the Covid pandemic, there will be a private mass and burial. We look forward to having a Celebration of Life memorial service in August.