Vincent Joseph Sullivan passed into eternal life on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at home surrounded by loving family members. He was an extraordinary human being. He cherished his family and made them the center of his life. Vince never met a stranger. He was genuinely interested in the people he met and treated everyone with respect and dignity.

Vince was born on March 13, 1942, in Mobile, AL. His mother, Regina Shannon, originally from Illinois, worked in her father's law firm, until marrying George Sullivan, a dentist and Mobile native. Vince was the middle child with two older brothers, George Jr. and Charlie, and two younger sisters, Regina and Isabel. Growing up, he was considered the sweet brother and had a special close bond with all of his siblings throughout his entire life.

Vince attended Catholic schools throughout his childhood. He cherished his years at McGill High School where he was the all-star point guard and captain of the basketball team. He also played football and baseball during high school and was an all-around great athlete all his life. He was a natural leader and inspired his teammates to not give up and give it their all. Through his remarkable sportsmanship and academic achievement, Vince was inducted into the McGill Hall of Fame.

Vince received multiple prestigious basketball scholarships to colleges throughout the country, but in the end accepted the scholarship to Spring Hill College. After one year of college, he entered the seminary for a couple of years. He made lifelong friendships in the seminary, but decided in the end that his true calling was to be a family man. He went back to finish up his bachelor's degree at Spring Hill College where he met and fell in love with Ann Toomer, his future wife.

Vince and Ann married in 1967, the beginning of a long-lasting happy marriage of 56 years. While continuing their education at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, their first child, Vincent Jr. was born in 1968. Through work, military obligations and student loans, they managed as a team to finish their education, and both obtain their Doctorates. After moving around the Gulf Coast to several academic institutions, in 1972 they finally settled down in Pensacola, FL where they had their second child Amy, and where Vince began his 40-year career as a College Professor. Vince was one of the most popular teachers at Pensacola Junior College (PSC). He kept his students entertained with anecdotes and family stories that illustrated the psychology concepts he taught in his classes. He would often say as he entered the classroom "Are you all fired up?!" as a way to motivate his students and ultimately help them reach their potential.

Vince took great joy in being a father to his children, and grandfather to his grandchildren. He would love just hanging out being silly and playful. Even after retirement from teaching, he took a huge role in caring for his grandchildren, including picking them up from school daily and getting to know all the teachers and school community. He also was an amazing listener, always non-judgmental, and forgiving, having unconditional love for his family. He was very encouraging and motivated his children and grandchildren to strive to be their best selves, always believing in them.

Vince never lost his enthusiasm for living. He was constantly coming up with new ideas. He would frequently have bursts of intuition regarding a wide range of topics, including insight into family dynamics, society's social structure, and perceiving what appeared to be esoteric associations but what proved to be correct after all. Vince also loved to take his family on travel adventures, including numerous long road trips throughout the US and Canada as well as several trips to Europe spending one summer living in Paris.

Sports and socializing were Vince's favorite pastimes. He played basketball, football, tennis and pickleball. Having friends over on weekends was especially enjoyable. Vince loved talking and laughing late into the evening. In fact, his laughter was so contagious, it was not uncommon for everyone to start laughing with him even before he was able to tell his jokes and stories, which he would love to tell often. Vince had a wonderful sense of humor.

In 1990, at age 48, Vince was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. He was given two years to live. Despite this, he fought against cancer. With novel chemotherapy, Vince's determination to keep living, and his family's love and support, Vince persevered in the fight against cancer and made it through. He always had true grit and would never give up on anything in life. Vince had genuine empathy for others, was gentle and kind. He was a strong, brave soul who was loved and appreciated by everyone around him.

Vince is preceded in death by his brother, George Sullivan Jr.; his sister, Isabel Moore; and his parents, George and Regina Sullivan.

He is survived by his wife Ann; his son, Vince Sullivan Jr.; his daughter, Amy Sullivan (Rahul Chavan) and their children, Maya and Rohan Chavan; his brother, Charlie (Pauline) Sullivan and his sister Regina Ollinger; as well as his lifelong best friend, Ervin Daigle.

Memorial Visitation will be held 1:00pm until a Celebration of Vince's Life Service to begin at 2:00pm Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, Pensacola, FL with Fr. Tom Koyickal officiating.