Lottie Sullivan

BIOGRAPHY

Sullivan was born in Denson Springs, Anderson County, Texas, USA, on 8 March 1909, to parents Thomas Franklin Lee Hassell (1863–1951) and Henretta Martha Ann Ferguson (1871–1941). She was the 13th of 15 siblings. She was raised and schooled in Denson Springs and completed schools in Beulah, Texas, where the family moved when she was in the 2nd grade. At the time, they were the only residents who owned a vehicle. Her father raised cattle. She played basketball in high school and was reportedly good at it. Later, she attended Stephen F. Austin State University where she would meet her future husband.

In 1928, she married Adam Sullivan (1907–1979). The couple had four children: Billie Lou Smith (1929–2009), Eileen Milstead-Kerr (1931–2021), Kathleen Ann Sullivan Myers (1933–2007), and John Phillip Sullivan (1948–2022). Her husband started our as a teacher, but soon realized he couldn’t make enough money to support his family. In 1929, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in World War II and the Korean War, eventually retiring as a Colonel in 1954. The couple’s favorite hobby was fishing.

At the age of 105, she was still very independent. She was a Methodist and a member of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority in Nacogdoches.

Sullivan passed away in Carthage, Texas, USA, on 28 October 2019, at the age of 110 years. She was survived by two of her children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 9 great-great-grandchildren.