Robert Glen Sullivan

Robert (Bob) Sullivan, beloved husband of June (Rossman) for 62 years passed peacefully on June 23rd at the age of 94, June and family at his bedside. He was the father of Sean Sullivan (Celia), Julie Pecha (Erick) and Paul Sullivan (Michelle) and the beloved “Bumpa” to 17 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. He was the oldest brother of the late Roger Sullivan (Sue) and the son of John Vernon Sullivan and Gladys Sefferine (Krogstad) of Seattle.

Robert’s early years included his family’s ownership of the Klick Klack Deli in Woodland Park during WWII and the Green River Gorge in Enumclaw. His donut shop, owned with his brother for several years, sparked his life long affinity for maple bars. He attended Central Washington University and spent most of his career as a 5th grade teacher influencing countless students with his booming voice and his quirky, professional teaching style. He started his family on Mercer Island and eventually moved to his beloved Whidbey Island in 1970 where he finished his career at South Whidbey Elementary School in 1987. He relished his time on Whidbey Island, particularly enjoying traversing the steep trail to his beach on Holmes Harbor and raising oysters. Buying a kiln, he created his signature “Sullivan Seagulls” and peddled his goods at various summer craft fairs for years. He innovated the daily “polar plunge” in the cold waters of Puget Sound and raised his own organic grass-fed beef, fruits, vegetables and honey…trendy before his time. He trekked his family across the ferry to countless Mariners, Huskies and Sonics games (always in shorts) and had a great love for Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks, Costco and anything “Seattle.” He was a devout Catholic and passed that faith on (with handmade rosaries) to his children and grandchildren. His favorite phrases were “Good Lord,” “Be kind” and “God bless you,” often accompanied by his signature “head pat”.

Beyond all else, he took tremendous pride in remembering the names (first and middle) of all his grandchildren and made endless trips to visit them over the years, which afforded him the exciting opportunity to take tours of all of the Costcos en route. He asked everybody if they were Catholic and made them all aware of his Puget Sound roots. He made the world a better place and truly left an indelible mark on all of our souls. Cheers to the gentle giant. Thank you for being our “Bumpa”.