Josephine Margarette Sullivan of Portland, OR passed away on December 25, 2022.  Our dear mother died of natural causes at the age of 94, under the kind care of Clyde and Elaine Dobre in their NE Portland Adult Care Home.  She was a loving mother, always there when needed, for family and friends alike.  She was known best by her many friends as “Jo”.

Jo was born in Spokane, WA on March 27, 1928 to parents Joseph and Margarette Dunegan. It was in her early childhood that her parents moved Jo, her brother Bill and sister Pat to Vancouver, WA where she attended grades K-12.  After high school she proudly graduated from Providence Nursing School in Portland, OR.  She married Lawrence “Larry” Sullivan on June 6, 1951.  Together they lived as loving parents until Larry passed in January 2003.  Jo was predeceased by both her brother Bill and sister Pat.

Mom had a full life with family and her career as a registered nurse, she was very passionate about both.  Other passions included practicing her Catholic faith, cooking, travel and cruise ship vacations, dining out and trying any new restaurants, Saylers Old Country Kitchen being one of her favorites for decades   Mom’s nursing career was full of variety, She started at the old St Vincent’s Hospital when located in NW Portland. She was part of the big move to the new site out near Beaverton on Barnes Rd.  She worked in many fields of nursing, Emergency Department, Surgery, Labor & Delivery and float nursing.  She also worked in her later years as a school nurse for the Portland Public School System.  After she retired from nursing, she volunteered with The American Red Cross Disaster Services and went on many disaster relief outings throughout the US, helping hundreds of people and making many new friends.  She also belonged to the Association of Volunteer Registered Nurses (AVRN).

Mom’s Irish heritage made St. Patrick’s Day one of her favorite holidays to share with friends.  Yearly she would gather friends at her beautiful home in NE Portland to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day with corned beef and the works, or to share traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with her family.  She always cooked delicious meals to satisfy and please her family and guests.

She is survived by children: Greg, Tim, Dennis (wife Linda) Sullivan, Dan (wife Julie) Sullivan and Maureen Hampton; grandchildren: Ryan (wife Lindsey) Sullivan, Shannon Sullivan, Tom (wife Catie) Sullivan, Bryce (wife Adrianne) Ward, Derek Ward, Corey Ward, Brendan Ward and Cassidy Hampton; great-grandchildren: Owen Sullivan, Logan Sullivan, Jacob Sullivan, Abbie Sullivan, Avery Ward, Hazel Ward, and Brody Ward.  She was called Auntie Jo by her nephews and nieces: Michael Dunegan, Helen Foster, Patrick Dunegan, Joseph Dunegan, Mary Trute, Shawn Connolly, Kevin Connolly, Terry Connolly, and Brian Connolly.

Funeral Mass will be Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 2727 NE 54th Ave, Portland OR 97213 (tel. 503-281-5318). Open casket viewing will begin at 12:00 PM, rosary will start at 12:30 PM, followed by Mass of the Resurrection at 1:00 PM.  All are welcome.

Josephine will be privately laid to rest in Willamette National Cemetery, Happy Valley, Oregon.

If you want to remember Jo, please make a donation to Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org/orswwa.

Please visit the guestbook portion of this site and enter a special memory or message. Thank you.