John James “Jim” Sullivan, 86, of Sparta, NJ, Dad to his five children and PopPop to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, passed away unexpectedly on October 19, 2026, at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Jim was born May 11, 1940, in East Orange, New Jersey. He graduated from St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in 1958, and his years there were among the best of his life. It was there he made friendships that lasted a lifetime. He went on to graduate from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City in 1962, where he played on the college’s inaugural soccer team and his quick feet earned him the nickname “Twinkle Toes.”
Jim served in the New Jersey National Guard and went on to a long career in government service as a cost research analyst, first with the U.S. Navy, then the U.S. Air Force, and finally the U.S. Army at Picatinny Arsenal, retiring in 2000. He and his wife, Sharon, who always called him “Mr. Wonderful,” married in 1964 and moved to Sparta in 1966, where they made their home for 60 years.
A devout Catholic, Jim was a faithful parishioner of Our Lady of the Lake since 1966. For decades he was a fixture at the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass, though in recent years it became the 8 a.m. He served on the parish’s fundraising teams and was a steadfast supporter of its annual carnival. When asked to serve as a Eucharistic minister, he always demurred, never feeling worthy; such was his humility before the Lord.
Jim loved to tinker on his cars, and his pride and joy was a 1973 robin’s-egg-blue Volkswagen Beetle. When he was feeling silly, he’d call you a “cucamonga.” When Sharon worked evening shifts as a nurse, he did his best to get dinner on the table. His specialty was “toasted cheese”: six slices of bread lined up on a cookie sheet, each topped with a slice of American cheese and broiled until browned. It was not his finest work, and he was every bit as relieved as his children when they grew old enough to cook a proper dinner.
When the grandchildren came along, he relished every visit, often wondering how they all turned out so smart and personable. The answer was simple: it was his goodness, passed down and carried on in each of them.
Jim is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Sharon; his children, James (Lesly), Deborah, Theresa (Gregory), Shari (Ralph), and David (Julie); his grandchildren, Melissa (Caitlin), Monica, Cassandra, Erin (Scott), Lauren, Thomas (Ava), Steven, Jackson, Jameson, Aiden, and Connor; his great-grandchildren, Amelia, Eileen, Kingston, and Noah; his sister, Maureen; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, John and Beatrice; his sisters, Catherine and Madeline; and his brothers-in-law, Charles and Thomas.
Visitation will be held Thursday, October 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Goble Funeral Home, 22 Main Street, Sparta. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, October 30, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Sparta, followed by burial at Good Shepherd Cemetery, Green Township.
In lieu of flowers, please direct memorial contributions to Medical Aid for Northern Ghana, the mission of Jim’s friend and fellow St. Benedict’s alumnus, Dr. Jim Murphy:
69 Pleasant Place
Kearny, NJ 07032
drmurphyinghana.org/HOW_TO_HELP.html
