James Sullivan

March 18, 1930 - December 18, 2020

On Friday, December 18, 2020, James Sullivan, 90 years young, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, passed away to be reunited with his beloved soulmate, Nancy in Heaven. Born March 18, 1930, he was raised in Ossining NY, the son of the late Paul and Julianna Sullivan, with his siblings, John, Helen, Paul, and Kenny. He graduated from Ossining High school in 1948. On September 2, 1951, Jim married the love of his life, Nancy at St Ann's Church in Ossining. They went on to raise their 5 children in Ossining and in Dannamora, NY. He coached basketball and baseball for Chris and Jimmy for many years and Scott loved doing projects with him. He was always a hard worker and always put his family first. He joined the US Army and fought proudly for his country as a Corporal in the Korean War where he was injured and received a Purple Heart. He became an officer at Sing Sing Prison in 1954. He went on to be promoted to Deputy Warden at Clinton Correctional Facility in 1976-1983. Then, in 1983, he became the Warden of Sing Sing Prison, where he retired in 1988. When he retired, he built Nancy her dream home in Kingsbury, NY where they moved to be closer to their family. Their greatest joy was spending time with their grandchildren. During the summer they would host huge family reunions and, in the winter, they would travel south to visit friends and family. Whenever you saw them, they were holding hands and they just loved to go dancing. They were blessed to celebrate 65 beautiful years of marriage together. He enjoyed playing pinochle, tennis, basketball, and his favorite was golf. On his 88th birthday he golfed an 88! He continued to golf through this past summer. He loved his garden, and enjoyed sharing everything he grew with family and neighbors. If there was a project to be done, he was there to help! He made every single holiday special, and when his beloved wife, Nancy, passed away he made it his priority to continue all of the family traditions and even became a master at making her famous Irish Cream. He was always proud of his family and praised their accomplishments. Even when he "fired you", he still thought you were great. He loved to attend his family's sports and school events, and was always there to cheer them on! He even helped coach his granddaughter’s softball for years. “He instilled the best morals and values in all of us, and taught us to always live with integrity.” He had a special smile, a truly contagious laugh, and his heart was solid gold. He will be deeply missed and forever loved. We find comfort in knowing he is dancing with his "Mrs. McGillicutty” in Heaven. Left to cherish his memory are his children, Karen Collins (Terry); Michael Sullivan; Scott Sullivan (Mary); Chris Sullivan; Jim Sullivan (Rebecca); Grandchildren, Joe Laluna (Mary); Chris Laluna (Jessica); Kyle Collins (Missy); Allison Sullivan (Cody); Jessica Sullivan (Dayton), Melissa Sullivan; CJ Sullivan (Erin); Brady Sullivan; Hope Sullivan; Danika Johnson (Matt); Kevin Gilligan; Kyle Gilligan; Kristen Sullivan; Ashley Sullivan; Sarah Sullivan; great-grandchildren, Dawson, Kayla, Kaiden, Hailey, Skyler, Kameron, Kolton, Allison, Jakob, Connor, Lola, Josie, Ravenna, Jada, Maddox, Roman, Kayzie, Kyler; great-great grandchild Jameson, and all the children and grandchildren they “adopted” through the years. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 22, at the Regan Denny Stafford Funeral Home, 53 Quaker Road, Queensbury. Masks and social distancing are required. Only 40 people may enter the building at one time. Funeral service and burial will be private at the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, where he will be honored for serving in the Army. There will be a memorial picnic in the summer. (TBD) If interested in attending, please contact a family member. Thank you to the nurses and doctors at Glens Falls Hospital for their kindness and compassion to James and his family. To leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.sbfuneralhome.com.