Nancy Hinson Sullivan age 83, wife of John Sullivan, retired executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, passed away on August 12, 2020 at the Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.
Nancy Sullivan was born with a twin sister Aug. 21, 1936 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She met Travis Gene "John" Sullivan in Washington, D.C. while they both worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When they were dating, Nancy Sullivan took him to her Southern Baptist church and assumed he was a Christian. But her father discerned he was not and told her so. They were married on June 24, 1955. Three months later, Nancy Sullivan presented the plan of salvation to her newlywed husband and led him to the Lord on August 13, 1955. He was baptized in Congress Heights Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and was ordained to the gospel ministry on December 1, 1957 by First Baptist Church, Cupertino, California.
After serving alongside her husband in churches for 32 years, she became Florida Baptists’ first lady when John Sullivan was elected to lead the state convention in 1989. Until he retired in 2015, Nancy Sullivan crisscrossed the state, traveling to churches alongside her husband. Nancy Sullivan always defined her role as “John’s wife” ready to stand behind him. She had a burden for “hurting pastors’ wives” she would often say, “As a pastor’s wife for 32 years, I want to say that it can be great. We have great memories of every church we have ever served. Other than her family, Nancy loved ministers’ wives more than anything,” John Sullivan said. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville where he serves as senior adults pastor.
In 1992, Nancy Sullivan served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ministers’ Wives Conference, a job that included planning and hosting the annual luncheon held during the SBC, as well as raising funds to underwrite the luncheon costs. She was dismayed that many pastors’ wives could not afford to attend the luncheon and established the Ministers Wives Endowment Fund, approaching friends, acquaintances, churches, state conventions and SBC agencies for contributions. Recently the name of the fund was renamed “The Nancy Sullivan Endowment Fund” for the SBC Ministers’ Wives Luncheon in honor of her efforts.
“There was no one like Nancy Sullivan. Her heart was extraordinary,” said Susie Hawkins, wife of the GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins. “Her encouragement and vision with ministers’ wives was the driving force to establish an endowment fund to lower prices so that every wife could enjoy the luncheon. She worked tirelessly for years,” she added. “No one is indispensable to the Kingdom of God, but some are irreplaceable and that was Nancy Sullivan,” Hawkins said. Rhonda Kelley, wife of New Orleans Theological Seminary Emeritus President and adjunct professor of women’s ministries, said Nancy Sullivan was a “long time dear friend. I will always be grateful for her personally investing in my life as a young minister’s wife.” “One of her great contributions to the Kingdom of God and Southern Baptists was her commitment to ministers’ wives. We will ever be grateful for the endowment she established to secure funds for the ministers’ wives luncheon,” Kelley said. “May we all live godly and faithful lives as she did.”
Nancy Sullivan was awarded numerous honors in her life, including “The Mrs. J.M. Dawson Award for Outstanding Services”, presented by the Southern Baptist Convention Ministers Wives, June, 1999; and “The Clyde Merrill Maguire Award for Ministers’ Wives,” presented by the Florida Baptist Convention’s Ministers’ Wives, November, 1998.
She is survived by her husband John and their three grown children, son John Michael Sullivan and his wife Jennifer of Stuttgart, Ark.; daughters Cheryl Ann Anderson Allen and her husband William “Sonny” of Nashville, Tenn. and Jeanie Wendt and her husband Sam of Fayetteville, Ark. She had five grandchildren
Ashleigh Anderson Holden (Eddie), Chelsea Sullivan Mathews (Spencer), Alexandra Anderson Buntin (Christopher), John Brock Sullivan (Jesslyn), Samantha Grace Wendt, and six great-grandchildren
Raleigh Ann Buntin, John Elijah Sullivan, Lola Grace Mathews, John Parker Buntin, Andersyn Louise Holden, Elsie Kate Sullivan, sisters Sarah Allen (Henry-deceased), Doris Sabatino (Lou-deceased); brother Ed Hinson (Connie). She was preceded in death by her parents Clifford Leroy and Lola Mae Duncan Hinson, her twin sister Lola Jeanene Brewer, and younger brother John Earl Hinson.
Funeral Services will be held 2:00pm Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at First Baptist Church, 119 W. Beaver St., Jacksonville, Florida 32202 and 10:00am on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at Broadmoor Baptist Church, 4110 Youree Drive, Shreveport, Louisiana 71105. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in her memory to the Nancy Sullivan Ministers Wives Endowment Fund, c/o Southern Baptist Foundation, 901 Commerce St. Suite 600, Nashville, TN 37203.
Arrangements are under the care of Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Chapel, 4801 San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida 32207, 904-737-7171
