Richard P Sullivan

Richard "Dick" Sullivan passed away on April 8, 2024 of Metastatic Mesothelioma. Although there is typically a short life expectancy for meso patients, his positive attitude, faith in God, and fighting spirit gave him 9 ½ years with his family and friends. The cancer did not define him, but he was a medical outlier and became involved in the Meso community, helping others who also battle this terrible disease. Dick was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and lived by three pillars: God, family, and hard work, which guided him throughout his entire life. He passed those qualities on to those he loved the most. Dick is survived by Marilyn Sullivan, his wife of almost 54 years, who is one of the most influential persons in his life. They met on a blind date through coworkers at NCR in Dayton, Ohio. They had planned to go to a hockey game (neither are fans of hockey), but Dick's car broke down. He was determined and had a neighbor drive them to the game. Needless to say, they saw qualities in each other which grew stronger over the years. Together they had 4 children: Karen, Amy, John, and David. Dick worked in the computer industry for over 45 years, which brought him and his family from Ohio to Colorado. While working in Ohio, he attended school at night to get his associate degree from Sinclair Community College. Dick was a tech engineer, rose to middle management, and led sales/marketing teams. He enjoyed sales and marketing the most as it allowed him to help others; he was an extrovert and loved talking with people. He worked hard and enjoyed the fruits of his labor with his wife and kids. Dick loved his family deeply and was incredibly proud of his kids. He cherished Sunday family dinners and enjoyed spending time with his adult kids and their spouses (Adam, Megan, Sarah, and Rafael). Dick considered all 8 as friends. He had 6 grandkids: Alex, James, Katie, Patrick, Clare and Alice. He saw characteristics of himself and Marilyn in his grandkids and loved spending time with them. Dick was curious and adventurous with a love for travel. The family's 1979 Chevy Blue van was vital to many adventures, crazy antics, and wild excursions. In retirement, he bought an Airstream where he and Marilyn traveled with other Airstreamers, seeing new places, singing, and playing his Ukulele. Dick was always planning for the next trip. The grounding center to Dick was God. He was a faithful man who attended an all-boys Catholic High School and church every Sunday. His faith in God gave him hope, and his family's love supported him in his final days. He will be greatly missed! The funeral is on April 18, 2024, at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Fort Collins, Colorado. A Viewing will be held from 9:00 a.m., and a Funeral Mass will begin at 10:00 a.m. For those unable to attend in person, live streaming can be found under "what's happening" at https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Religious-Organization/St-Elizabeth-Ann-Seton-Catholic-Parish-in-Fort-Collins-CO-613861565303368/ Please consider donating to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, formerly known as MARF, a national non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for the fatal asbestos disease known as mesothelioma. https://curemeso.salsalabs.org/tributepages/p/richardsullivan/index.html