Marie Helen Sullivan was born on March 30, 1922 to William and Mary (Schiltz) Schwarte in Westphalia, Iowa. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Boniface Catholic Church where she also attended Catholic School through the eighth grade. On August 10, 1948, Marie was united in marriage to Joseph Lawrence Sullivan at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Panama, Iowa, where they remained members their entire lives. They became parents to seven children: John, Kathleen, Mike, Joseph, Bill, Maria, and JoAnn.
Marie was a dedicated wife and mother, and was an indispensable partner to her husband on the farm for over sixty-three years. The family raised Herefords and Salers cattle and Marie took an active role when show time came around. She had been a member of the 4-H during her youth and became a 4-H leader while her children were in the club. The family was honored as the 4-H Family of the Year in 1994. She also served as a member and an officer of the Altar Society at St. Mary’s.
She did a great deal of gardening, baking and in her free time, would like to sew, work on embroidery, and made quilts for all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren..
Marie died on Monday, August 10, 2015 at Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan at the age of ninety-three years, four months, and eleven days. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Joseph, infant children Kathleen and Joseph, sister Bernice Schwarte, and brothers: Herman, Monsignor Michael, Joe, Bill, Sylvan, and Raymond Schwarte.
She is survived by her children: John Sullivan and his wife Deb of Woodbine, Iowa, Mike Sullivan of Braddyville, Iowa, Bill Sullivan and his wife Valerie of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Maria and her husband Mark Wingert of Panama, Iowa, and JoAnn and her husband Dennis Nowatzke of Ottawa, Kansas; thirteen grandchildren: Barb Sullivan-Brown, Dan Sullivan, Mike E. Sullivan, Jodi Sullivan-Waters, J. Joel Sullivan, Justin Sullivan, Austin Sullivan, Shelby Sullivan, Jeff Wingert, Whitney Wingert-Cline, Nathan Nowatzke, Thomas Nowatzke, and Kenneth Nowatzke; seventeen great-grandchildren: Dalton, Jorja, and Mollie Brown, Destini, Myariah, Joey, and Jason Sullivan, Bran Waters, Carter, Maddox, Joley, and Grant Sullivan, Kaelyn and Emmett Wingert, and Gracie, Cole, and Brianna Cline; sisters Caroline Esser of Logan, Iowa and Margaret Epperle of Bellevue, Nebraska; brother Mert Schwarte of Harlan; other family members and friends.