Obituary of Richard M. Sullivan

SULLIVAN, Richard M. 91, of Duxbury, formerly of Natick and Wellesley, passed away peacefully on November 10th. Beloved husband of Estelle (Bere). Loving father of Skip Sullivan and his wife Betsy of Duxbury, Scott Sullivan of Fort Myers, Florida, Sue Bragdon of Houston, Texas, Sally Sullivan of Duxbury, and Rich Sullivan and his wife Karen of Basking Ridge, NJ as well as 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Rich was born November 21, 1925, the youngest of 3 sons of Frank and Leota (Campbell) Sullivan and grew up in Dayton, OH. After starring in track, basketball, and swimming through graduation from Fairview HS, he attended Purdue University where he earned a BSEE. There, he met the love of his life, Estelle Bere, and they were married in 1950. After two tours of duty with the Navy, serving in both WWII and the Korean War, his career moved the family to Wellesley in 1956. He spent over 30 years with Spaulding Fibre Company, rising to be their highly respected National Sales Manager. He then purchased and ran a small manufacturing company, Electro-Prep, for 11 years until retiring in 1998 and moving to Natick. Rich loved to curl, play golf, and played tennis into his eighties. He was also a dedicated church volunteer. But his primary passion was family. He coached the kids’ baseball, basketball, and football teams. He took the family on February ski vacations up north and was always there for dinner and quality time. We will forever remember and appreciate his zest for life, that infectious smile, Dad’s love of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and an amazingly upbeat, get-it-done attitude.