Gerald Sullivan Obituary

Sullivan, Gerald

Gerald "Jerry" Sullivan, 78, passed away on February 28, 2026, surrounded by his family after a brief but hard fight against cancer. We are comforted that he is no longer in pain, and that he has been reunited with so many of his loved ones who have gone before him, none more than his first born son, Sean Patrick. Gerald was born on the West side of Chicago in 1948 to John and Mary (nee McGrath) Sullivan. He attended Our Lady Help of Christian grade school, St. Mel's class of 1966 and Loras College, class of 1971. He formed lasting bonds with those classmates over the course of 60 plus years starting with reunions, luncheons, or random meet ups, then on to long distance phone calls or shared ballgames, and eventually through texts and Facebook posts. He met a fellow West sider, Margaret "Peggy" Calkins at Marty's lounge in 1971 and were married in 1973. During this time he also attended Worsham College of Mortuary Science, graduating in 1972. In 1976 he bought his first funeral home, Lain-Sullivan, moving his new family to south suburban Park Forest, IL. He and Peggy immersed themselves in the community by joining Rotary International, Kiwanis Club, Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) and St. Mary's parish. During this time, Jerry created a business model separate from the traditional funeral home structure, and founded Cremation Society of Illinois in 1983. His contributions included being a Board Member for 25 years with the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), Board Member of the International Cremation Federation (ICF), membership with The Australasian Cemeteries & Crematoria Association (ACCA), National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), and served as a consultant to the Illinois State Comptroller when Judy Baar Topinka held the office. The same spirit and conviction that helped him play a role in redefining the funeral industry was also front and center in his most important position: as a loving father to his six children and grandfather to his seven grandchildren. Jerry was loved by his wife, Margaret "Peggy" nee Calkins; his children, the late Sean, Tim, Mary (Doug Klein) Sullivan, Katie (Nate) Frideres, Rita (Randy) Alexander and Marty; grandchildren, Douglas and Aidan Sullivan, Owen and Emmett Frideres, Rose, Rhys, and Ruby Alexander; his siblings, Jeanne (the late Kenneth) Gutrich, the late Jack Sullivan, and Maureen (John) Szeluga; his in-laws, Mary Lou (Sam) Maggiore, Kevin (Maryann) Calkins, Rita (William) Tierney, Cecilia (the late Scott) Hawkins-Wight, Loretta (John) Tierney and Robert (Marcy) Calkins, a host of nieces and nephews, and friend, Director of Operations to Cremation Society of Illinois, the late Donald Fritz. Visitation Friday, March 6, 2026, 3 PM-8 PM at Cremation Society of Illinois- Edison Park, 6471 N. Northwest Hwy (one block north of Devon) Chicago IL 60631. Family and friends are asked to meet directly at church for the Funeral Mass at 11:30am Saturday, March 7 at St. Juliana Catholic Church, 7201 N Oketo Ave, Chicago, IL 60631. In lieu of flowers, donations to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For info, call

773-774-3333.

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