Charles H. Sullivan

Charles H. “Sully” Sullivan of Easton, MD died Tuesday, April 5, 2005 at Memorial Hospital at Easton. He lived for 43 years in the Bowie, MD area. He was 89. Born December 6, 1915 in Washington, DC, he grew up in Edmonston and Cheverly, Maryland. He was the son of the late Michael Joseph and Lillian Robinson Sullivan. At the age of 16, he learned the electrical trade and went on to become the largest electrical contractor in the DC area, establishing Sully’s Electrical Service Company, Inc. In 1937, he obtained a Master Electrician’s license and held the oldest license in Prince George’s County when he retired in 1991. He was a past President of the Prince George’s County Electrical Contractors Association. Mr. Sullivan was associated with Modern Construction Company which later became Maryland Community Developers and MCD Enterprises, working closely with childhood friends Albert W. Turner and Herndon G. Kilby in the communities of Lewisdale, Hollywood, New Carrollton, Calverton, Kettering, Enterprise Estates, Millwood, Prospect Plantation, and others. He provided the electrical construction for other area builders including Carson and Greene, Hannum and Turner, Henry Witt Construction, among many. Overall, he was responsible for the electrical construction for more than 13,000 homes in Prince George’s, Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Howard, and Queen Anne Counties. He was the first President of Carrollton Enterprises, builder of the original New Carrollton Shopping Center. He provided the electrical construction for many commercial and large-construction projects including 16 public and Seventh Day Adventist schools, the Hydronautics Laboratory in Fulton, MD and the digital radiography system at Leland Memorial Hospital in Riverdale. Mr. Sullivan worked in the war industry at the Washington Navy Yard in the Optical Department. Beginning in August 1944, he served in WW II in the Army’s 65th Infantry Division, Headquarters Battery, 869th Field Artillery Battalion, European Theatre. He held five Specialist ratings: Communications Instructor; Voice Communications; Wire Communications; Code Radio; Radio Mechanics; and Wire Chief-Telephone and Telegraph. The 65th Division traveled farther than any other division during the war and liberated cities throughout Germany and Austria and the Flossenburg Concentration Camp. He was also attached to the 261st Infantry Regiment for the drive across Germany. After cessation of hostilities, he instructed basic trainees in Wire Communications at Field Artillery Specialists School, Gelnhausen, Germany. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Germany Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre Medal with 2 stars. In June 1995, he and fellow comrades from the 65th Infantry Division Association and their families retraced their steps through Europe and attended receptions in Germany and Austria honoring the Division for saving their countries; a plaque was dedicated to the men in the Division and hangs at the entrance of Enns, Austria. Since 1988, Mr. Sullivan has been a lifetime member in the 65th Infantry Division Association. Following the war effort Mr. Sullivan served as a volunteer fireman for the Tuxedo-Cheverly Fire Department. He was a member of the Hyattsville Lions Club, and a trustee at the Landover Hills and Cresthill Baptist Churches. He was a current member of the American Legion Post 296, Queenstown, MD. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, June Sullivan, and his children, Sharon S. Norris and husband Earl, Darlene Sullivan, Dr. Dan Sullivan and wife Victoria, two grandchildren, Wesley Charles Norris and Camille Norris Durham and husband Michael, a brother-in-law, Larry Owens, former sister-in-law Marie Iczkowski, four nieces, 17 great nieces and nephews, 24 great, great nieces and nephews, and his faithful cat McDuffy. A brother, Michael J. Sullivan, his Aunt Catherine Bly Smith and a great niece, Leslie Ellinger preceded him in death. Friends may call at the Fellows, Helfenbein, and Newnam Funeral Home in Easton on Sunday, April 10, 2-4pm, and at the Funeral Home at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery, Brentwood, MD on Monday, April 11, 2-4pm and 6-8pm. Services will be held at the Community Mausoleum Chapel at Ft. Lincoln, Brentwood, MD on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at 1:00 PM with burial to follow at Fort Lincoln Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the 65th Division Halbert, P.O. Box 28898, Kansas City, MO 64188-8898. Arrangements are by Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P. A., Easton, MD.