- Date Of Birth: February 16, 1949
- Date Of Death: September 13, 2019
- State: Massachusetts
Michael W. Sullivan, 70, of Upton, MA and formerly of Holyoke, MA, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, September 13, 2019, at his home. He was the beloved husband of 25 years to Joyce C. Chiu, and father of Kristen Brown and Ryan Sullivan.
Born in Holyoke, he was a son of the late Ward D. and Rita J. (Cullinan) Sullivan. He was raised and educated in Holyoke, MA.
Prior to retirement, Michael worked at James River Graphics for 27 years (1966 – 1993) and at Madico for 23 years (1994 – 2017). A self-taught chemical engineer, research scientist and coating technologist, he was highly regarded in the chemical coatings industry.
At Madico, Michael boosted the profitability of their safety films, transferred products from R&D to manufacturing.
Michael enjoyed a wide variety of interests, most notably classical music, poetry and reading of the Roman Empire and Shakespeare. His fanatic love for classic music favored Richard Wagner, Igor Stravinsky and Benjamin Britten, as well as Bach and Beethoven. He could “name that tune” in that entire genre. He enjoyed cooking and prepared all the family meals. As an avid bird hunter, he went on hunting trips with his best friend, Frank Kearney. In his youth, he achieved eagle scout status and taught canoeing, sailing and boating.
He is survived by his wife Joyce C. Chiu of Upton; his children, Kristen Brown and her husband Kevin, of Milton, and Ryan P. Sullivan of Santa Clara, CA; two grandchildren, Gabriella (Bella) and Nathaniel Brown; three siblings, Carole Sullivan of South Hadley, Dennis Sullivan and his wife Marilou, of Holyoke, Nancy Reale and her husband Karl, of South Hadley; two nephews and a niece.
