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John Sullivan Obituary
November 29, 1949 - January 3, 2026
John Thomas (Tom) Sullivan III, 76, passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, January 3, 2026, at the Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno.
Born on November 29, 1949, in Bloomington, Illinois, he was the son of John Thomas Sullivan and Julia Fisher Sullivan.
In 1975, Tom married Gilda Reeder of Congerville, Illinois. They shared 13 cherished years together until her passing in 1988.
A proud veteran of the United States Air Force, Tom graduated from Holy Trinity High School in Bloomington in 1967. After joining the Illinois National Guard, he earned a degree in Business Administration from Illinois State University in 1973. In 1974, he entered the Air Force Officer Training School in San Antonio, Texas. He became a navigator and served as a Strategic Air Command Electronic Warfare Officer on the B-52D Bomber at Dyess AFB in Texas. He then became an instructor at the USAF Electronic Warfare Officer Training School at Mather AFB in California.
After his military service, Tom's career in technology kept him in California. He co-founded Shamrock Telecom in Auburn, providing specialized repair services for cellular base station equipment to customers across the country.
Tom retired in 2000 and turned his innovative mind to invention, securing a U.S. patent for an online collaborative purchasing system, which he sold in 2012.
A lover of warm weather and water, Tom was fortunate to live in some of the most beautiful places: Lake Tahoe, Nevada; San Francisco; Sausalito; Victoria, British Columbia; and Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii. He provided his family many lovely vacations.
He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered as an intelligent, humorous man and a loyal friend to many. His generous spirit shone through in quiet acts of kindness which included donating several soothing bassinets to San Francisco General Hospital and many hours gently rocking crack-addicted newborns. He also donated his historic 1912 wooden boat, Pintail, that he lived on in Sausalito to the Boy Scouts of America.
He is survived by his three sisters, Kathie Herman (Roger), Julie Droessler (Gary), and Janet Popson (Randy), along with many loving nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife, Gilda.
Funeral services will be private.
Online condolences and memories of Tom may be left for his family at kiblerbradyruestman.com.
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Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home1104 N. Main St., Bloomington, IL 61701
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