He was also blessed with six grandchildren he loved dearly – U.S. Army Captain Jon Paul Sullivan (Becca) of Kansas City, Missouri, Lauren Sullivan Hill (Richard) of Collierville, TN, Kelly Sullivan of Birmingham, AL, Victoria and Caroline Votteler (both of Austin, TX), Michael Pluta (Bowling Green, KY) and four great-grandchildren, who brought him great joy – Ashtyn Sullivan (6 years), Emerson Hill (3 years), Hunter Sullivan (7 mos), and Madison Hill (7 mos). Bill was also survived by sister-in-laws Norma Wilson and Barbara Sullivan, and brother-in-law Latta Wiman (Carolyn), all of Mayfield, KY, and many nieces and nephews.
Bill graduated from Mayfield High school early at the age of 16 to pursue his dreams of eventually going to college. He began helping his grandfather build houses before he was 10 years old, drove a semi-trailer at the age of 16 for Shulze & Burch delivering cookies and crackers across Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois, and working for the Illinois Central Railroad as a switchman before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1951. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years and spent one year in Korea during the Korean War (1952-1953). He was one of eight airmen and one officer in the original operations team of the 1009 th Special Weapons Squadron, located north of Seoul. They were joined by a rifle platoon of the 728 th Military Police Battalion. After serving his country, he enrolled at Murray State College in Murray, KY, where he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Math, Physics, and Chemistry with honors. He was awarded the Sinclair Fellowship in Geophysics at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology now known as New Mexico Tech (Socorro, NM) and graduated in 1961 with a Masters Degree in Geophysics.
He spent 28 years with Shell Oil and Shell Offshore, Inc., as a geophysicist in their Exploration and Production Department in Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and was assigned to Shell Canada in 1970 where he spent three years in Calgary, Alberta, Canada exploring and drilling off the eastern coast of Canada. He then returned to the U.S. and spent the last 15 years of his career exploring and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Eastern Coast of the United States. He was involved in the initial deep-water exploration and drilling program by Shell Offshore, including many of the major discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico, prior to his retirement in 1988.
Prior to moving to Lakeland, Tennessee in 2006, and joining Bellevue Baptist Church, he was a member of the First Baptist Church of Mandeville for 33 years, where he served as a Deacon, Chairman of the Deacons, and Chairman of the Trustees. Bill also served in many capacities at his previous churches at Lakeview Baptist (New Orleans, LA) and Willow Park Baptist, now Trinity Baptist Church (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), where he was a charter member.
Bill was dearly loved by his family. He left behind a lasting legacy for his family as an example of a loyal and devoted follower of Christ. His love, kindness, generosity, intellect, and humbleness were infectious to all who knew him and will be sorely missed.
Funeral services for William C. Sullivan will begin with visitation on Sunday, October 30th from noon – 2 p.m., followed by the chapel service at 2 p.m. at the Byrn Funeral Home in Mayfield, KY. Dr. Wes Fowler will officiate. Interment will follow at Maplewood Cemetery in Mayfield, KY. Military graveside rites will be conducted by American Legion Post #26.
The pallbearers will be Captain Jon Paul Sullivan, Todd Votteler, Richard Hill, Mel Sullivan, Mark Pilkinton and Rick McDonald. Honorary Pallbearers will be Latta Wiman and Russ Wolfe.
Expressions of sympathy in lieu of flowers may be made to; Mayfield First Baptist Church, Bellevue Baptist Missions (Bellevue Baptist Church), or Memorial 3 Gun Foundation, which supports Gold Star families (families of fallen service members).