Mark Sullivan

1953 - 2023

ALBANY - Mark Sullivan passed peacefully at his home with his wife by his side on September 16, 2023.
Born on July 5, 1953, to William and June (Allen) Sullivan, Mark lived his entire life in Albany. He began his education at Cathedral Academy and graduated from Cardinal McCloskey High School.
A mutual friend introduced him to his wife, Georgia, in July of 1976. They enjoyed more than 46 years of marriage and together raised four children.
Within a year of graduating, Mark began working in the mailroom of the New York Telephone Company. The hard work and dedication he demonstrated in this and all pursuits in his life led to an almost 40-year employment through many roles and company name changes, culminating in him serving as a manager for Verizon. Upon the conclusion of this career, Mark spent more than seven years as a member of the housekeeping department of the Honest Weight Food Co-Op. There, as everywhere, he was cherished and greatly respected.
Mark was devoted to the Albany community. Throughout his life, he was recognized for the services he so freely provided: as an altar boy, the Grand Knight at the Albany Knights of Columbus, president of the Beverwyck Neighborhood Association, a Meals on Wheels delivery volunteer and a member of his church's parish council.
Family was always the center of Mark's universe. He was present at nearly every school and extracurricular activity in which his children participated. From the time his oldest child joined a T-ball team at Westland Hills in 1983 until years after his oldest grandson graduated from the league, he was a dedicated volunteer, serving as coach, manager, board secretary, groundskeeper, French fry chef and more.
There is nowhere on Earth Mark enjoyed spending time more than Pyramid Lake, which served as the family's annual vacation destination beginning in 1984. For Mark, Pyramid Lake was a peaceful place to relax as well as rejuvenate. He was known as a reliable source of laughter and endless playful energy not just by his children, but all campers. His talent for building bonfires was admired by all.
Music soothed Mark throughout his life. He introduced his children to countless artists across many genres and enjoyed educating them and his wife on song titles, artists, and other trivial information. A pop quiz was never out of the question when listening to the radio.
Mark was a voracious reader, a trait he shared eagerly with his family. Beginning with bedtime stories and, as his children grew older, distributing pieces of his personal library, Mark loved sharing his favorite books. More privately, Mark frequently expressed himself through writing, most often in the form of poems and letters to loved ones.
Mark is survived by his wife, Georgia; children, Julie, Andrew, Rachel, and Kevin (Jackie Bubel); grandchildren, William Traynor, Arianna, Laila, Jaxton, Namay and Nivado; and his faithful canine companion, Cooper. He is also survived by his brother, Brian; sister, Betsy (Chris) Koval; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Mark's family on Thursday, September 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the McVeigh Funeral Home, 208 North Allen St., Albany. Please enter the funeral home from the rear parking lot entrance only. Funeral services on Friday, September 22, at 10 a.m. in St. Vincent De Paul Church, 900 Madison Ave., Albany, NY, 12208, where his funeral Mass will be celebrated. The Rite of Committal will be held in St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands, immediately following the Mass.
If you are so moved, the family asks that you make a contribution to a fund that was near and dear to Mark's heart: St. Vincent's Food Pantry, Westland Hills Inc., Pyramid Life Center, Crossroads Center for Children, or Out of the Pits. These are links to each fund:
https://stvincentalbany.org/food-pantry, https://www.westlandhills.com, https://www.pyramidlife.org, http://crossroadcenter.org, and http://outofthepits.org.
To leave a message for the family please visit www.McveighFuneralHome.com.