Mrs. Sara Sullivan

Sara Josephine “Sara Jo” Sullivan, age 87, of Townsend, Georgia, passed away peacefully on April 1, 2024. She was born in Deland, Florida, on January 24, 1937.

Sara Jo, as she was affectionally known, was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother. She and her husband, Payson, recently celebrated their 70 th wedding anniversary in September of 2023. They raised their children in Apopka, Florida, later moving to Ailey, Georgia, and then they enjoyed their retired life in the Sutherland Bluff community of McIntosh County, Georgia.

Throughout her lifetime, Sara Jo was involved in many activities such as Junior Sorosis of Orlando, taught Sunday School at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Apopka, Florida, the Daughters of the American Revolution of Eustis, Florida, Habitat for Humanity of Vidalia, Georgia and several area garden clubs. She became an avid golfer in retirement, was involved in several bridge groups and was a devoted member of the St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Darien, Georgia.

She was a 1973 graduate of the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, and a summa cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Science in 1988 at Florida Southern College. Her career as a Registered Nurse included roles at Orlando Regional Medical Center, a Certified Diabetic Nursing Educator, Meadows Memorial Hospital in Vidalia, Georgia, and as a Clinical Nursing Educator at South Georgia College. Her passion for nursing and dedication to helping others left a lasting impact on all who knew her.

Sara Jo leaves behind her loving husband, Payson Nesbitt Sullivan; her children, Thomas Scott Sullivan (Kristy), Samuel Winslow Sullivan (Susan), William Murphy Sullivan (Clara), David Russell Roberts (Tracy), Markus Gemsch (Linda); her grandchildren, Patrick William Biehle (Sophie), Anne Catherine Biehle (Martin), Caroline Elizabeth Sullivan (Nick), Anna Ryan Hepburn (Sam), Virginia McLean Sullivan, Abby McLaughlin Sullivan, Sara Katherine Sullivan, William Payson Sullivan; great grandchildren, Amelia Louise Biehle, Villads Maltha Biehle, Alice Kennedy Hepburn, Viggo Maltha Biehle, and Quinn George Biehle; son in law Erich Biehle; sister, Catherine Land Romano (George), brothers, Henry William Land (Jackie), David Bennett Land (Shandon), Albion Winslow Land, and Thomas Milton Land (Jana). She was preceded in death by her father, Henry William Land and mother, Abby Josephine Land and daughter, Catherine Elizabeth Sullivan Biehle.

Sara Sullivan’s legacy will endure in her family for generations to come. She embodied grace and elegance in every aspect of her life – from her steadfast commitment to her 70-year marriage, to her carefully curated relationship with each of her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. She taught her family the importance of one another. The continuing dedication they have for each other today is a testament to the mark that she left on this world. She was loved by so many and forgotten by none.

A service to celebrate Sara’s life will be held at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Darien, Georgia, on April 15 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory can be made to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, by going online to ctf. org or to the St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Darien, Georgia.

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