John Stephen Sully

JOHN STEPHEN SULLY, beloved, devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend lost his battle with kidney cancer on November 9th, 2015 at the age of 71. After 5 years of fighting this disease from every angle, using every possible therapy, along with an unyielding amount of personal bravery and strength, he entered Hospice care on October 15 and died 4 weeks later at home surrounded by his loving family. His larger than life, playful, warm and humorous spirit will be profoundly missed by so many. The son of George Sully Jr. and Yvonne W. Jones, John was born and raised in San Francisco. He was one of four children (Dorene, Suzanne and George L.). Two half siblings came several decades later (Matthew and Pamela). John attended school at St. Cecelia's elementary, Herbert Hoover middle school, and Lincoln high school. His family spent most of their weekends and summers at the Russian River in Monte Rio where his family owned a vacation cottage. His family had strong ties to the river, as his grandparents owned a vacation get away called the Sully's Hotel that they owned from 1906-1936. John loved the independence and adventure that the river life provided and he was rightfully named a "River Rat." John's wild, adventurous spirit made the confines of school life a challenge, and he left high school to join the Marines where he served for four years in the early 1960's during the pre-Vietnam era. After completing four years in the military, John returned to San Francisco where he worked at an S&W warehouse before following his father, George Sully Jr. into law enforcement and becoming a San Francisco police officer. His father retired from the SFPD in 1976 as Deputy Chief of Police. John first met his wife, Diana, of 50 years, at Herbert Hoover middle school. They were good friends until friendly letters that were exchanged while he was serving over seas in Okinawa, became romantic. They were married in 1965 and had three children- Kira, Lisa and Kevin. Although John continued to work as a San Francisco police officer, their dream was to move out of the city and raise their children in the country. They moved their family across the bridge to Fairfax and then to Woodacre in Marin County while he continued to work as a San Francisco police officer. During his tenure with the SFPD, he was a patrol officer at Park Station in the heart of the Haight Ashbury district, one of the first members of the Tactical Squad, an Inspector in the Narcotics Bureau, and was assigned to the Robbery Detail for a few years before leaving SFPD. The desire to move even further north of the Golden Gate inspired John to apply and accept a job with the Santa Rosa police department. They moved the family to Sebastopol where they grew deep, permanent roots. During his tenure in law enforcement in Sonoma County, he was a patrol officer for SRPD and was Assistant Sheriff to Roger McDermott. He attended the FBI Academy in Quantico Virginia for 3 months and was Captain of the Sonoma County jail where he was instrumental in the planning and building of the new jail. He then served as Assistant Sheriff for another term with Mark Ihde. He retired from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department as Assistant Sheriff. John was a passionate, life long fan of the 49ers, Giants and Warriors, and was a faithful supporter through every triumph and defeat. He was thrilled to have seen all of his teams win championships in his lifetime. John was also an excellent athlete. In his youth, John played baseball and basketball, and in the Marine's he played baseball and football. The Marines wanted him to sign on for another 4 years so he could continue to play football, but John had other ambitions and life pursuits to begin. He coached various team sports that his children participated in while they were growing up. In his 30's, John became an avid tennis player, and after that, golf became his passion, which he tried desperately to continue playing until just 3 months before he died. He thoroughly enjoyed watching his grandchildren's various sporting events where his voice could be heard cheering above all others. John was best known by his family and friends for his friendly greetings, arms open wide, big smile, while preparing to give a warm bear hug embrace. He was also well known for his playful spirit and at times relentless teasing (he did have partners in crime). It was unusual to be at a gathering with John where someone didn't end up in a pool fully clothed or someone's face being coerced into a cake. He loved to have fun and make people laugh. Even those who found themselves as the target of his fun loving pranks couldn't help but love to be near him. He was even known to bring one of his victim's flowers after his mischievous acts. As John got older and these grandiose physical pranks were no longer reasonable, this skill morphed into more verbal banter, which was equally as entertaining and endearing. John and Diana had a special flare for collecting and keeping friends wherever their path led them. From San Francisco to Fairfax to Woodacre and Sebastopol and every stop along the way, they created friendships that were more like extended family. Family trips with friends- backpacking and camping in Trinity and the Sierras, Whispering Pines Resort in Lake County, weekly trips to the beach, ski trips, Ashland Shakespeare Festival trips, time in Arnold, and yearly trips to Hawaii were among their communal adventures. Not to mention the many shared meals, including his Thursday morning breakfast club. They would celebrate all of life's special events together and even move from one place to the next to be near one another. A truly unique group of friends and life experiences, they never took a moment for granted and lived life to the fullest. John would not be the person he was without them, and his family and friends will not be the same without him - he will be missed with very heavy hearts. John was an animal lover and when talking to them, it was always so endearing to hear the singsong, high pitched "mother ease- like" speech come from this large, robust lawman. Animals loved him. Although there have been many animals in John's life, his loyal dog Maggie provided him with so much comfort during his illness. She never left his side. John is survived by; his wife Diana, daughter Kira Bowman (Brett), daughter Lisa Sully-McLaughlin (Claudine), son Kevin Sully. Five grandchildren- Jessica McGough (Matt), Reanna and Ashlyn Sully, and Eleanor and Theo Sully-McLaughlin. His brother George L. (Joan), brother Matthew Sully and sister Pamela Sully-Crooks (Matthew), brothers - in-law Paul Tomassini and Jerry Twomey, and numerous nieces and nephews. John was predeceased by; his mother Yvonne W. Sully, father George Sully Jr., sisters Dorene Tomassini and Suzanne Twomey and nephew Danny Tomassini. A Memorial to celebrate John's life will be held on Saturday, December 5th at 11:00 in Santa Rosa at the Center for Spiritual Living, 2075 Occidental Rd., Santa Rosa 95401. If desired, donations may be made to: St Jude - stjude.org/GiveThanks or Stanford Cancer Institute - Cancer Discovery Fund - med.stanford.edu/cancer/help/make-a-gift. Family assisted by PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY-Sebastopol.