Richard J. Sullivan Sr.

Born in 1930 in North Quincy, MA the son of Raymond and Helen Sullivan. He received his BS and Masters in Education from Springfield College and was awarded an Ed.D. from New York University. He served in the US Army from 1952 to 1954. He began his career in higher education in 1955 at Hofstra University as a baseball and football coach and was appointed Dean of Students at Hofstra in 1966. In 1970, he and his family moved to Chatham, MA when he was selected as Dean of Students at Cape Cod Community College where he retired 29 years later. He was the President Emeritus of the Cape and Islands Division of the March of Dimes; past president of the Area Board of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and a Founding Board member of WE CAN (Women Empowerment through the Cape Area). He was Commissioner of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the 1970’s and President of the League in the 1980’s. He served on the boards of: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Massachusetts Senior Games, Project Help in Hyannis, Cape Cod Hospital, Chatham Platform Tennis Association and the United Way of Cape Cod. In 1998 he was presented with the Cape Cod Citizen “Service Above Self” award by the Hyannis Rotary Club. The next year he was honored with the first ever “Annual Citizen of the Year Award” by the United Way of Cape Cod and the Chatham Rotary selected him as “Person of the Year”.

He was the husband of Letti Sullivan for 59 years and leaves behind his son Richard Sullivan and daughter Lisa Jason Hough and two grandchildren, Kayla Rose Jason and Allie Jason and grand-pets Lizzy, Dexter and Penny. Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours from four to seven pm on Monday, May 4 at Nickerson Funeral Home in Chatham and Funeral Services at the Holy Redeemer Church in Chatham at 11 am Tuesday, May 5. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in Richard’s name to WE CAN and HopeHealth and Hospice of Cape Cod or the charity of their choice.

For online condolences please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com