John Manning Sullivan Jr.

John was a Chattanooga native, born Nov. 18, 1939, to John and Bina Sullivan. He attended Chattanooga High School before traveling north to Rocky Top.

While at Tennessee, he joined the Lambda chapter of Kappa Sigma where he met his lifelong brothers and learned to walk the life of a zealous yet humble gentleman.

After graduating in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Business, John enlisted in the Navy. He was posted in Guam and London as a naval intelligence officer, rising to the rank of Lieutenant. He was honored with the National Defense Service Medal and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

While overseas in England, John met his first wife, Joan Lofthouse. He left the Navy and together they moved to Dallas, Texas, where they married in 1968 and gave birth to his first son, Christopher, in 1974.

John graduated from Merrill Lynch School in 1968 and received his certification in institutional trading in 1970, beginning a successful 39-year career in the bond business. He worked for prestigious companies such as USAA, Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch.

During his stint working at Kidder Peabody in San Antonio, Texas, he met his second wife, Kimberly Peters. They were married in 1987 and gave birth to his second son, Sean, in 1991.

John retired in 2005 and chose to move his family back home to Chattanooga where he enjoyed the rest of his days caring for his family, cheering on the Vols and calling football games for the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Rams.

He was a proud American, Tennessee Volunteer, husband and father. His unwavering pride and commitment to the things that were important to him can be a lesson to all.

John is survived by his wife Kimberly, two sons Christopher and Sean, daughter-in-law Jenni and sister Patricia Roach.

A viewing will be held at the Chattanooga Funeral Home on Monday, Nov. 20 at 9:30 a.m., followed by a mass across the street at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church at 11 a.m., and burial at the Chattanooga National Cemetery at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers and at John’s request, please donate to https://www.gofundme.com/johnmsullivanmemorialfund. All proceeds will benefit Kappa Sigma’s Military Heroes Campaign. Arrangements are under the care of Chattanooga Funeral Home Crematory and Florist East Chapel, 404 South Moore Rd. East Ridge, TN 37412. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com