Karen Marie Sullivan

Karen Marie Sullivan (née Sumpter) passed away at the age of 67 on January 3, 2026, after a prolonged illness. Daughter to the late William John Sumpter and Judith Anne Keeler (née Quigley), she was born in Washington, DC, on October 25, 1958, and attended Southern High School in Harwood, MD, graduating with the class of 1976. Following graduation, she enlisted in military service in 1978 and spent the next three years of her life in Germany, serving with the largest Army Air Defense command in the world.
After her honorable discharge from the Army in 1981, she moved to Florida, where she married Walter Sullivan and began a 36-year long career with Publix. She attended Polk State College from 1995-1997 and earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Network Engineering. She retired from Publix in 2018, as both CIO and CSO of the Publix Federal Credit Union.
Karen was very passionate about dancing and all genres of music. She participated religiously in an annual event to commemorate one of her favorite music artists, Michael Jackson: a massive community flash mob choreographed to Thriller, which took place during Halloween in St Petersburg.
One of Karen's most laudable attributes was her love for cats and her devotion to cat rescue. She spent much of her free time caring for and rehabilitating cats that were homeless in the Lakeland area. An entire room in her home was designed as a special habitat dedicated to her cats, and the exchange of affection and love between her and her cats was a remarkable aspect of her life and experience.
Karen will be remembered in our hearts as a very generous person, who was family oriented to a fault, and who loved to spoil her grandnieces and grandnephews above all else. She cherished memories from her childhood and early adulthood and could spend hours swapping stories with family members and friends. She is survived by two brothers, David Sumpter and Vincent Sumpter; one sister, Jennifer Anderson; two nephews, Michael Sumpter and Dylan Quatmann, and many grandnieces and grandnephews. She is also survived by her devoted friends and lifelong companions, Walter Sullivan, Donna Tyler, and Loren Bennette.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Karen's name to an animal shelter of your choice.
The Celebration of Life for Karen will be held on March 29th, 1:00 - 4:00
Magnolia Building
Lake Mirror
121 S. Lake Ave
Lakeland, FL 33801