Michael C. Sullivan

July 24, 1948 – Sept. 8, 2014

A resident of the Lagoon Point Community, Whidbey Island, for more than 30 years, Mike Sullivan passed away early Monday morning at the Novel Adult Family Home in Lynnwood.

A gentle and intelligent soul, Mike lived his young life in Seattle, with a Catholic education, playing team sports and learning the “honorable” Irish sport of boxing. At the University of Washington, Michael studied aeronautical engineering, contributing significant research to that field, and later earned a Ph.D. in civil engineering.

During Mike’s naval career, while stationed as a young officer on the aircraft carrier USS America during the Vietnam era, Mike would send taped messages home as an A-6 plane would land deafeningly on the deck overhead.

Once home, Mike had a heart for volunteering with Seattle homeless, was civic minded and was politically involved in Seattle. From his young camping days, Mike kept an outdoor interest. As an adult, he enjoyed photography while hiking the glaciers of Mt. Baker.

After living a full life, at age 30, Mike’s health turned. For the remainder of his life (36 years), Mike endured affective schizophrenia. He engrossed himself in daily writing. Reams of Mike’s writing show a neat engineer’s hand and have been collected in neat stacks as something meaningful and of value to him.

With an easy wit, Mike has been a likeable fellow, a polite and good man. Mike had an uncanny ability to remember names of those he met, recalling the event and name years later.

May you rest in peace, Mike, knowing that you are loved. Your spirit can now rest in the palms of our loving God.

Michael is survived by his sister, Ann, and her husband, John Leaser, of Lagoon Point.