James Lee Sullivan "Sully"

James Lee Sullivan was born on April 9th, 1963, to Geraldine and Joseph Sullivan, Sr. Throughout his early years, Jim caused plenty of trouble alongside his brothers John and Joseph Jr. in the streets of Hyattsville. Between the three Sullivan boys, the local emergency rooms were always busy.

Jimmy, or Sully, as people often knew him, started his career as a volunteer firefighter at the young age of 16 at Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department Company 1. Jimmy graduated from Northwestern High School in 1981 before starting work as a mechanic for Prince George’s County Fleet Maintenance. In 1984, he was hired as a career firefighter with Prince George’s County Fire Department. Jim worked at a variety of stations, including Company 34 (Langley Park), Company 44 (Chillum), and Company 30 (Landover Hills). During this time, Jim met his wife, Kathie, as they often responded to the same calls for service in District I / A Sector.

Jim was then offered a transfer position with Prince George’s County Fire Investigations Division. To do so, Jimmy completed the Police Academy at Prince George’s County Community College at the age of 35. Despite being one of the older recruits in his class, Jim successfully completed each rigorous requirement and earned accolades for defensive driving tactics. During his long held position within Arson Investigations, Jimmy worked a variety of major cases, including the Thomas Sweatt arsonist and even his very own house fire on Riverton Lane in Bowie. Jim also took great pride in training with “Duke,” his cadaver K-9 partner and “Raven,” his arson K-9 partner. He proudly served his county for 24 years, where he was well known for being a jokester with various humorous antics. Jim then retired from Prince George’s County Fire Department in 2008, before beginning a second career with the City of Bowie Police Department.

Jim quickly made a name for himself in the City of Bowie, not only for his sense of humor, but also for his compassionate heart. Everyone that knew Jim had a story about their connection with Jim, whether it be a familial connection, time he gave them a break on a traffic ticket, or helped them out in a tough situation. Jim often joked that he couldn’t go out in public without being noticed, called out, or recognized. Many of the stories were funny, but the majority of the stories also pulled at your heartstrings. Jim made some of his best friends while working with the City Police Department - men that have shared jokes in roll call meetings, stood by his side during midnight shifts, and covered his six on dangerous calls. The City of Bowie Police Department quickly became a second family to Jim and his girls. His home became a spot to grab a cold drink in the summer, share stories about calls in the garage, or clean your gun after a day at the range. Before every shift, you could find him in the garage washing Impala #10 or Taurus #86 and gearing up for work with a cooler filled with cold Dr. Peppers.

Jim truly took the role of being a “girl dad” to heart. At first glance, Jimmy had a gruff and militant appearance, but was compassionate and warmhearted deep down inside. His girls were his pride and joy. He always had a story or something to brag about with each of his girls. When he wasn’t working, Jim spent many hours watching and coaching his daughters playing a variety of sports as they were growing up and rarely ever missed a game. Some of Jim’s other favorite activities included working on and riding his Harley Davidson, enjoying an ice-cold Bud Light or Jalapeno Margarita, fixing up his daughters’ vehicles, completing home repair tasks, re-watching the same episode of MASH, Adam 12, Emergency!, for the millionth time, and stopping by Dunkin’ Donuts with his dog Harley, whom Jim rescued from an abusive home. Jim enjoyed frequent trips to Longwood University and West Virginia University to see his daughters at school, probably driving a little too quickly to pick them up and bring them home for holiday breaks. Jim loved sitting in the family room in front of a warm fire while catching up on the morning news. No matter the season or the weather, Jim loved ending each day sitting on his back deck and soaking in the sunlight or even watching a good thunderstorm roll in.

Jimmy passed away peacefully in the early morning hours on Monday, October 4th, 2021, surrounded by his family and best friends. He is survived by his devoted wife, Kathleen, his three beautiful girls, Kaitlyn, Kelli and Jamie, and his beloved dog, Harley. Jim is also survived by his brother, Joseph Jr., sisters-in-law Stephanie and Anne, and multiple nieces and nephews. Jim was greeted in Heaven by his mother, father, and late brother John.

Friends and family can visit with Sully's family at Robert E. Evans Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 12th, 2021, from 2-4pm and 6-8pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church (1940 Mitchellville Road Bowie, MD 20716) on Wednesday, October 13th, 2021, at 11am with burial immediately following at Lakemont Memorial Gardens (900 W. Central Avenue Davidsonville, MD 21035).