Eileen Thera Sullivan

EILEEN THERA JENSEN SULLIVAN At the age of 94, Eileen Thera Sullivan joined her loving husband, Dr. David Sullivan, in Heaven. They were married June 22, 1947, in Grand Forks, ND. Dr Sullivan preceded her in death on April 16, 1990. She was married for 42 years to the love of her life. Eileen passed away on January 3, 2016, in Tigard, Oregon, where she was living in the Applewood Adult Foster Care Home. Born in Leland, Iowa, on March 6, 1922, to Mark and Pearl Jensen, she was the oldest daughter and the last surviving child of the couple. She had two brothers - Mark Jr., who died at birth, and Paul Jensen. She also had three sisters - Gladys Ludlow, Faye Christianson and Ruth Elder, all who lived in the northwest. She is survived by sister-in-law, Mary Lou Jensen as well as eleven nieces and nephews: Shannon Greene, James Christianson, Cheryl Campbell, Shelley Sohriakoff, Barbara Allen, Todd Jensen, Kandice Owens, Paul Christianson, David Christianson, Sally Sullivan and Debra Buxton. She also is survived by 21 great nieces and nephews and 13 great-great nieces and nephews. Eileen had the privilege of being baptized by her father, Rev. Mark Jensen, on July 16, 1939, in Fessenden, North Dakota. One of her special memories that she shared of growing up in Iowa, was the family going out to visit Uncle Logan on the farm. He was their favorite uncle. He would spend hours outside playing with the family. One of her many talents was her beautiful voice. She was part of the "Jensen Sisters Trio" who would be featured in many revivals and special meetings in the Nazarene church. The three sisters, Eileen, Faye and Gladys also sang on the radio. After graduating from high school, she went to work teaching elementary school in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She taught for two years to earn money to attend Northwest Nazarene College with the goal of becoming a teacher. She loved teaching children. Eileen graduated from NNC in 1946 with a teaching degree in home economics. After graduating, she taught Kindergarten and Grades 2, 3, and 4. Eileen taught school in every town they lived in. It was while she attended NNC that she spotted David Sullivan across the lawn on the campus, thinking what a handsome man he was. He asked her out and, as they say, the rest is history. It was love at first sight. She shared with me a story about socks and college life in the 40s. NNC had a policy on campus that all girls had to wear socks, no bare legs. Socks were very hard to get at this time, which was a problem for the girls. One day she decided to go without socks, bare legs, and she got caught. After being summoned to the Dean’s office and scolded, she was told he was going to have to call her father for this violation. Eileen’s response was quite sassy. She said, "Go ahead. And by the way, he is having lunch with one of the General Superintendents of the church today, and he has dinner at our house once a week." The phone call was never made. While attending Northwest Nazarene College she was a member of the Philharmonic Choral Society and the A Cappella Choir. She had the privilege of singing with her future husband along with two of her sisters. The three sisters all sang alto. There were many fun times as the choir toured for the college. Our little Norwegian aunt loved her Norwegian heritage and traditions. She loved collecting special items from Norway. You would have found little trolls displayed in her home. Traditional red Christmas ornaments and bright red decorations were also the norm. Christmas Eve was a special time for the Jensen family. It was our time to celebrate the birth of our savior and add to the many memories of our Jensen side of the family. Under the Christmas tree, Eileen and David would beautifully wrap the presents all alike but in different colors or bows for the nieces and nephews. Excitement would grow just looking at the gorgeous packages under the tree. A talented lady, she was very creative and crafty. Her home was always a favorite place to visit for her family. She hosted many family gatherings. Christmas was fun in the Sullivan home with great food and family. Her creativity spilled over into her church and teaching whether it was Sunday school, vacation bible school, or just that extra special touch in helping someone with a project. Christmas cards were Aunt Eileen’s special project. She planned and worked on these all year long. If anyone ever received a Christmas letter from them, they would find a little manger scene in the corner of the letter. One of Uncle David’s talents was that he was an artist. The corner of the picture had a little D.S. in the manger scene. Eileen continued this tradition after he was gone. Thank you, Aunt Mary Lou, for helping her all these years to get her letter out after Uncle David passed and for looking after her the way you did. You were a very special sister to her, and I know she loved you. As a Pastor’s wife she assisted her husband in many ways. She was the church pianist, organist, program director, Sunday school teacher, and simply eager to help in any way she could. She was a big help to her husband while he pursued his Doctorate. Eileen had a special ministry as a tender, gracious listener. Through the years, many people would pour their hearts out to her in confidence. These people came from all walks of life. She never did betray their trust because she was a lady of great integrity. Aunt Eileen was known to say, "I will take their secrets to my grave. They trusted me, and I will not betray their trust. This one of my ministries." Eileen’s word was always good. One of my favorite quotes from Eileen was about how to treat children. "Treat children fairly, not equally". Great wisdom from a wise teacher. She loved all kids even the little spit fires. She would talk about some of the little characters she had in her classes at school and just chuckle. She loved them all. Eileen and David loved to travel. She was very organized. She would have address labels typed out to take along on the trips. Then, friends and family would get postcards with special notes on them from wherever they were in the world. They took several trips to the Holy Land. Uncle David was the tour guide as he was working on his Doctoral project. Eileen was always by his side to assist in any way she could. She was a wonderful help mate. She would pick up at the drop of a hat to make a trip or go on an outing. Have Auntie will travel, and away she would go. The beach was one of her favorite places. She missed traveling with Uncle David because he always took care of everything she would want. They loved to bring back little souvenirs for family from a special place they would visit. Another one of her favorite places to visit was where her roots were - Iowa and the family reunions. "Are you going to the next reunion?" was a guaranteed question you would be asked, along with, "will you go with me?" She loved to talk about family. We would hear about Sally and her two sisters. It seemed like they were part of the Jensen cousins. Sally, you were a big part of Aunt Eileen’s life, and she treasured every moment she spent with you. She looked forward to the times you could travel up and visit. I just want you to know how much you are loved Sally. It is great that with her legacy she gave us a cousin by marriage. Aunt Eileen was a great treasure. Her faith in her heavenly Father and her love for Jesus, family and friends will live on. You cannot think of her without thanking the Lord for the wonderful family example she set. She lived her life as an example of love and kindness. One of her quotes about her faith was, "God is still on the throne." What a wonderful prayer warrior. Till we meet again, we love you, Aunt Eileen.