Ray Sullivan and his twin sister, Shirley, joined the family in Miami in 1928. He passed into his heavenly home on Feb. 12 while in the VNA Hospice House in Vero Beach, Florida. He was predeceased by his parents, Forrest and Ruth Sullivan, his twin Shirley Logue, his brother Eugene, and his daughter Karen. He is survived by Marnie Sullivan, his loving wife of 40 years; his daughter Jill Sullivan (Dan Reichert) of Charlotte, North Carolina; and his grandson Daniel Schueppert of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ray obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida where he played the alto saxophone in the band. He was a lifelong Gators fan. After graduating from Emory Dental School in 1954, he served as a dentist in the U.S. Army at Fort Lewis in Tacoma during the Korean Conflict. He joked that he fought the Battle of Puget Sound. He and his first wife Jacqueline returned to Miami in 1956 where Ray began his superlative dental practice of 40 years. Ray’s professional life was a testament to his generosity and his desire to help others. He donated his time and skill to all of the children at the Baptist Children’s Home in Miami for over 30 years. He also donated dental care one day a month at the Miami-Dade County dental clinic for many years and participated in several medical/dental mission trips to Anguilla, Guatemala and Nicaragua. He was a member of several dental societies and served as president of the Kiwanis Club of South Miami. He was also a member of Arcturus, the Key West think-tank while he and Marnie lived in the Florida Keys. He and Marnie also enjoyed membership in the Key West and Sebastian Inlet Sail & Power squadrons.
Throughout his life Ray made and kept many friends, some of whom he had known since they were “in diapers together.” He was a caring soul who touched so many in his lifetime with his friendship, love, support and generosity. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body and was a fun guy to be around. We are all richer to have shared our time with him.
