25 March 1937 - 1 March
2001
The following was written with significant contribution from Tricia Erazo Penn.
Larry Gene Sullivan was an only child, born 25 March 1937 to Horace Lee Sullivan and Enid Lucretia ("Pat") Sneed in Lake Lotawana, Missouri. Horace joined the Army and went off to war as a member of the 10th Mountain Division (Bob Dole's unit), and Aunt Pat raised Larry on her sister's (my grandparents') farm in Tarsney, Mo. (near Grain Valley and Lake Lotawana), waiting for the war to end. But Horace was killed in action in Bardi, Italy in April, 1945. As a war widow, Aunt Pat went off to work in Kansas City, allowing "Uncle Til and Aunt Lillian" and Wanda (my mother) to look after Larry. My mother was Larry's big sister for the rest of his youth, and she gave him his first stamp collection, which he maintained to the end.
Larry was formed
on the Tarsney farm, where in between chores, he hunted, fished, explored the creeks and
woods, discoverd foundations of old abandoned slave cabins, and collected fossils,
arrowheads, and Indian, slave, Civil War, and pioneer artifacts. He became active in
scouting, and took an interest in rocketry.
In the 1950's, long before rocketry became a popular hobby, Larry was building and launching homemade rockets on the farm, with encouragement (and some technical assistance) from my father Julio Erazo, whom he first met in 1948. Larry's interest in rockets paralleled that of Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys (basis of the film "October Sky").
In the 1960's, Larry moved his family to Texas, and was hired by a NASA contractor, where he got involved with the development of America's budding space program. He knew and worked with many of the early Apollo astronauts (e.g., Grissom, White, Chaffe, Aldrin and Armstrong), who called him "Sully". He helped invent the water tank the astronauts used to simulate the effects of weightlessness. All this without a formal degree. (He eventually went to New Mexico State U. in Las Cruces, where he earned his B.S. in 1985.) As recently as five years ago he did technical grant writing for the U.S. government. More recently, he taught computer technology at the Dona Ana Community College, also in Las Cruces.
He was Mayor of Seabrook, Texas from 1972-1976, a stamp collector, cook (mostly southwestern dishes--famous chili con queso & salsa), beer maker, and collected cactus in the desert. He started a book, Stories of the Lone Jack Massacre about our great-great grandparents and relatives (Cave family) who were farmers, but shot by Kansas redlegs during the Civil War, and had initiated an effort to declare the obelisk a monument and historical marker.
He sang in the choir of the Unitarian Universalist church, where his voice added "richness and flavor" to the group. He was also the church secretary, and instrumental in developing its long-range plan. Larry was on the music committee and taught in the religious education program, too. Up until his death, he tutored 4th and 5th graders at Wainwright Elem., M-F, from 3:20-4:20, and bragged about their improved test scores. The 4th grade teacher spoke during the "Open Sharing" at the service and said he really connected with the children.
He loved nature and did cave spelunking- mapped one out in Colorado. He also loved music and introduced many family members, neighbors and friends to classical and jazz. He was known for being a warm host. When the new minister came to town from DC, Larry had him delivered straight to his house from the airport, where dinner was waiting with congregation members and new neighbors. No lonely apartment in a new setting for the minister that night!
He also butted heads with some members of the congregation and could be a "pain in the butt". He told stupid jokes (over and over) and when he left choir practice, would say "I'm glad you got to see me." Well, they were glad to see him and will miss him.
Larry died in his hot tub, with his new lady friend. He experienced a cramp, she went to get towels and ice, and then he was gone. As the minister said, "only Larry would go down in his hot tub."
Larry left his three children (Tim, DOB 1956; Shawn, 1958; and Shannon, 1959), as well as a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His ashes were scattered on the mountain desert, where he loved to explore.