Leo William Sullivan, 81, passed away on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Sun City West, AZ.
Leo was born on September 20, 1941, in Clinton, IA, to parents Richard and Roberta Sullivan. He was the eldest of four children.
He was proceeded in death by his mother and father-in-law, Colbert and Sara Hessler; brother, Jack Sullivan; sister, Fran Norman; brother-in-law, Bill Norman.
Leo is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 60 years, Joan Sullivan; their sons, Rick and wife Suzanne (children, Bracken, Camden, and Molly) of Mt. Prospect, IL; Tim and wife Lisa (children, Garrett, Bailey, and Lauren) of Paradise Valley, AZ; Jim and wife Katie ( twins, Emerson and Jameson) of Chicago, IL; sibling, Rita and husband Rod Collins; sister-in-law, Maryann Sullivan; seven nephews; one niece.
In his early years, Leo served in the United States Air Force, Active Duty from 1960-1964, where he was stationed in Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, and overseas in Germany and Turkey. He continued for another nine years in the Air Force Reserves.
The couple moved to Morrison, IL, in 1964 where they settled and raised their family. Leo was employed at General Electric Appliance Control Department for 42.5 years, retiring in 2007.
Leo kept busy volunteering with his homeowners’ association, family investment club, genealogy research, checking out classic car shows (pulling up in his prized, new, red, Ford Mustang convertible), attending the grandkids’ many events, and, in later years, travel.
After years of being snowbirds, the couple moved to Arizona full-time in 2020. Leo often could be found sitting on the back patio in the evenings, watching the sprinklers on the golf course, occasional fighter jets flying overhead from nearby Luke’s Air Force base, and, of course, enjoying the sunsets, preferably with a bowl of ice cream.
Leo will be interred with Military honors on Friday, July 28, 2023, at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.
A Celebration of Life will be planned, at a later date, in Morrison, IL.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.
Please join the family and share memories, pictures, or videos of Leo on his tribute wall, at www.caminodelsol.com.