William 'Bill' Stephen Sullivan, 78

Bill was born Feb. 25, 1938, in Santa Monica, California, to Johnny and Charlene Sullivan. He entered the Army after high school and served in Berlin, Germany, from 1956 to 1958. Upon returning to the states he attended San Jose State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in history.

On June 16, 1962, he married Joyce Lee Davidson and they had two children, Jon Sullivan and Sharon Sullivan.

Bill worked for the United States Postal Service in California and Montana until he retired in 1999. He was very dedicated to his “customers” and enjoyed being a mail carrier.

In 1972, Bill and Joyce bought a small farm in Stevensville. There they grew extensive vegetable gardens and kept chickens and cows so they could be self-sufficient and live an honest, hardworking life.

Bill was an avid hiker, hunter and fisherman. Proudly, the deer, elk and trout he provided, along with the produce the family grew, were regular meals throughout the year. Bill was a big sports fan and a longtime season ticket holder for his beloved University of Montana Grizzly football team.

He will be remembered as a man of great knowledge, as well as being compassionate, giving, sensitive and a really funny guy. He truly enjoyed being goofy and “getting a laugh.” He was a man who preferred the simple things, even though he knew how to appreciate culture and refinement. He found great joy and purpose cooking meals for family and friends and everyone was always welcome at his table. He was a talker and loved to converse with anyone he met. He used to say, “It doesn’t matter who they are. You just find something in common and you talk about that.”

He was a serious scholar of cinema and classical music, both of which moved him to tears when he would share the experience with anyone who was interested. In his later years he spent a great deal of time listening to music on YouTube and wrote extensive reviews and history on all different kinds of music using “Bill Sullivan” as his user name.

Family was extremely important to Bill.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his wife Joyce.

He is survived by his brother, Charles, and wife, Roz; his son, Jon; his daughter, Sharon; and his grandson, Morgan Dickinson; as well as an extended family of nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Glacier Symphony office, 69 N. Main St., Kalispell.