Paul L. Sullivan

Paul Laurence Sullivan, of Leesburg, Florida, and Easton, Massachusetts, passed away after a brief illness on August 19, 2026, holding the hand of his beloved wife, Virginia “Ginny” Kelleher Sullivan, just weeks before their 69th wedding anniversary. Some people pass through this world, and others leave fingerprints all over it. Paul’s fingerprints were both figurative and literal. He leaves behind his wife, Ginny, his six children, Michael Sullivan, Jean (Sullivan) Bowman and her husband Keith, Stephen Sullivan and his wife Linda, Kathleen Sullivan, Joanne (Sullivan) Carroll and her husband Robert, and Noreen (Sullivan) Hyde and her husband Duane; twelve grandchildren, Meaghan Sullivan, Jessica (Bowman) McMahon, Nicholas Carroll, Amanda Sullivan, Jonathan Carroll, Brittany (Bowman) Howell, John Paul Sullivan, Lauren (Sullivan) Barrows, Paul Bowman, Benjamin Carroll, Molly (Hyde) Hrycin, and Marlise Hyde; and twenty-eight great-grandchildren, Annaleen, Landon, Grant, Jonathan, Owen, Lilly, Devin, Amelia, Ethan, Emerson, Abigail, Finn, Dylan, Liam, Kayvan, Murphy, Nolan, Madison, Cooper, Noa, Lucy, Shepherd, Callan, Isla, Kendall, Bennett, Michael, and Blake. 46 lives that trace directly back to Paul and Ginny, and a family that stands as perhaps the greatest testament to the life they built together. Paul was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, to Michael Leo Sullivan and Florence O’Leary Sullivan on September 11, 1939. He is survived by his older sister, MaryAnn Bullock, and is predeceased by his younger brother, Michael David Sullivan. Paul met Ginny on the second day of eighth grade at St. Patrick School in Brockton. He had missed the first day while finishing his summer at Berwick Boys Camp. Of all the places Paul would go and all the things he would do in the decades that followed, nothing would shape his life more than walking into school that day and meeting Ginny. Throughout all the wild paths their life would take, Ginny, encouraged each and made them a reality. Paul’s love for Ginny is endless. They grew up together, married, and built a life side by side, setting an example of devotion that would influence generations. Paul’s six children were the center of the life he and Ginny built together. He was a father who believed childhood should be full of experiences, and he made sure theirs was. There were trips to Niagara Falls, hot fudge sundaes for breakfast, and day trip after day trip, including countless rides to the Lobster Hut in Plymouth. With Paul, there was always somewhere to go, something to do, or a reason to pile into the car together. That did not change when his children grew up; Paul simply gained a new generation to bring along. To his grandchildren, he became “Pupa Paul,” and a day with Pupa meant an adventure. There was an American Idol tryout, a cub scout overnight trip at Battleship Cove, the rescue and release of several grocery-store lobsters, but also fishing at the local pond, trips to Sears, yard work, and afternoons spent relaxing on the glider at his home. Paul had a way of making the ordinary memorable. Through each activity he taught a lesson: work hard, take care of what you have, pay your own way, take responsibility for yourself, and do the right thing, especially when no one is looking. Paul spent his career working as a construction supervisor overseeing the completion of major projects including the Laser Laboratory at RIT in Rochester NY. He finished multiple large projects for Raytheon Corp. and United Engineers, in upstate NY. He built the I/N Tek Steel Mill outside of South Bend, Indiana, The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in NH, Boston University’s Warren Towers, and dozens of other projects in and around Boston and Rochester NY. There are many ways to measure a life: years lived, work accomplished, places visited, awards earned. Paul’s life can be measured in all of those ways. But perhaps the best measure is the family gathered behind him. One man whose values, stories, habits, humor, lessons, and love now live in 46 other people and will be carried into generations he will never meet. Paul Sullivan left his fingerprints everywhere. And his family intends to keep them there.

Paul L. Sullivan

September 11, 1939 - August 19, 2026