Martin 'Marty' Sullivan, age 86, also known as "papa" to many passed away on June 10, 2020, at his home in Valrico, Florida. He was pre-deceased by his loving wife of 47 years, Alice E. Sullivan (Fontina) who passed away on December 27, 2002. He is also pre-deceased by his brothers Harvey Deveau and Joseph Sullivan and sisters Dorothy MacPherson and Mary Sullivan. He is survived by his baby sister Joanne Bowen and husband Joseph of Fitchburg, MA, sons Marty and wife Christine of Londonderry, NH, Patrick and partner Craig of Canterbury, England, and two grandchildren, Michael and fiancée Nicole Moody of Orlando, FL and Sean of Londonderry, NH. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews that he loved dearly.

Marty was born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 26, 1934 to Joseph V. Sullivan of East Boston and Margaret Sullivan (O'Keeffe) from County Cork, Ireland. Marty grew up in East Boston and was a student at East Boston High School until he and his friends dropped out to join the Marines. Unfortunately, Marty was too short, so they all proudly joined the Navy.

From September 1951 to April 1955 Marty served on the USS Strong DD-758, an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, as a Fire Control technician. The young man who had dropped out of high school now worked a highly technical job, supporting the gunners by controlling range-finding gear, and solving ballistics calculations to control the firing of the guns. He was awarded the National Defense Ribbon, China Service medal, Korean medal and the United Nations medal.

After a three-year tour and four more years in the Navy reserves, civilian life beckoned. He worked in the Boston shipyards then at the Green Shoe Manufacturing Company. Around this time Marty met his wife, Alice, on a blind date. They were married on September 18, 1960 and raised two sons Martin and Patrick in East Boston.

Marty worked at The Gillette Company for 29 years until he retired at the age of 57. Retirement and the lure of warmer winters opened a new chapter in his life.

The couple went down to Seffner, Florida to visit Alice's two brothers and bought a home in a 55 and over community in Valrico called Strawberry Ridge. He joined the local chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association, volunteered with the Sheriff's Office S.A.L.T. (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) Council, and learned how to live on his own again when Alice died of cancer in 2002.

Marty was truly dedicated to honoring fellow Veterans, our military service members, and the fallen. He devoted over a decade of his life volunteering at the Veterans Memorial Park and Museum in Tampa, FL. He loved to volunteer weekly and gave tours of the park and the museum to students, scouts, and many families. Marty was also an active member of the Veterans Memorial Park committee. He participated in fundraisers near and far to help raise the funds to build the Korean War Memorial, which was dedicated on July 26, 2014. He was also heavily involved in the establishment of the Iraq Veterans Memorial.

Having left high school early in order to enlist in the Navy, he never graduated. A good friend heard about this and contacted a local high school. Thanks to an honorable discharge from active military service, his missed classes while he was in Korea were forgiven. So, at the age of 83, more than 60 years later he finally had the chance to don a cap and gown and graduate alongside 600 other students at Newsome High School. This accomplishment was carried on local news channels in Florida and after the graduation Marty was surrounded by reporters asking for an interview.

Marty Sullivan was a lovable guy and father who left a lasting impression on all who met him, and he will be deeply missed. Marty especially looked forward to visiting New Hampshire to spend quality time with his grandchildren telling stories of his youth growing up in East Boston He had his way of telling a story from his past that made it seem as if it occurred yesterday. Whenever he visited NH there was always a trip back through East Boston to reminisce. He showed his family where he met his love Alice, how he would sled down the street in winter, sometimes dodging cars and many other memories from his youth. Marty was an avid sports enthusiast. He loved his local teams Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics like no other. He loved talking sports with grandson Michael and watching Red Sox games with him. He and grandson Sean would talk about cars and trucks. Papa loved to tell Sean about types of cars he owned as a youth. He always called his Daughter-in-law Christine "sweetheart" and would always send her flowers on Mother's Day. Marty was looking forward to attending Michael's wedding to Nicole in April 2021. Although he is now in heaven, he will still be there in their hearts celebrating their special day.

In Marty's honor, a Celebration of Life will be planned at a later date in both Florida and New Hampshire.