Emma B. Sullivan

To view the service via Youtube click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/live/SjdNgTdFEm8 To view the service via Facebook click the link below: https://www.facebook.com/ZandersFuneralLIVE/ Emma B. Sullivan, the epitome of a “Southern Belle”: beautiful, elegant, intelligent, kind, loving, graceful, proper, and utterly captivating, was born on November 11, 1937, the year Zora Neale Hurston published Their Eyes Were Watching God and Franklin D. Roosevelt began his second term as President of the United States. Raised on a small farm in Webster, Florida, alongside her brothers Albert and Thomas, Emma was guided by the wisdom and strength of her mother, Tearessa Blue, following her father's death when she was only two years old. Tearessa later married Emma’s stepfather, Pinkey Howard, and instilled in Emma the values of Godly wisdom, resilience, and service. She also nurtured Emma’s remarkable cooking skills and her passion for helping others at a young age. Emma excelled both academically and athletically, earning a basketball scholarship and graduating from Mills High School in Sumter County, Florida. She pursued her dream of becoming an educator at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, where she majored in elementary education and joined the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. It was in Tallahassee that she met the love of her life, Rufus Sullivan Jr. Though she admitted to playing “hard to get” during their courtship, Rufus’s persistence won her heart. The two were married on March 10, 1958. Their union was blessed with three sons: Reginald Gregory Sullivan, Ronald Craig Sullivan Sr., and Roderick Waring Sullivan. Emma graduated from FAMU in 1960 and later obtained her Master of Science in Education with a concentration in Reading and Literacy from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 1975. Despite facing discrimination early in her career, she remained undeterred, volunteering to train teachers and address reading deficiencies in Lake County schools, earning the title of Clermont Elementary School’s Outstanding Educator of the Year in 1986. Emma and Rufus were also active participants in the civil rights movement, registering Black voters in Lake and Sumter Counties. They were also lifelong time members of the NAACP. The couple eventually settled in Clermont, Florida, where Emma dedicated herself to her family, community, and faith in Christ. In retirement, Emma continued her life of service, contributing to countless organizations including the Lend a Hand Club, the Lake County Senior Citizens Club as well as serving as a director of the youth ministry, a deaconess and Mother of the Church at Greater Harmony Missionary Baptist Church, a congregation she and Rufus were lifetime members. She has received a monumental number of accolades throughout her 87 years of life for her dedicated service to her community, her church as well as her family and friends. She lived a life of unconditional love and service to everyone who knew her, until she went on to be with the Lord. Emma will be remembered for her kind and warm heart, unwavering faith, and the countless ways she touched the lives of those around her. She was a source of wisdom and comfort, whose heart knew no bounds, and whose love was unconditional with no limits. Whether it was through her sweet voice, warm hugs, her delicious cooking, or her words of encouragement, she had a way of making everyone feel connected to her in a special way. She celebrated your successes, was proud of your accomplishments, and encouraged you through your difficult times. We know the mold was shattered when God gave her to us, and in some way, we have all tried to shape our lives to fit the pieces of what this incredible woman’s character has left behind! The extent of her grasp to show love and compassion was immeasurable, and she left an indelible mark on everyone whose life she touched. Emma was such an extraordinary woman, and the world is a better place from her having been in it. The door to her home was open as wide as her heart to show love to everyone and make them feel welcomed! She poured herself out to fill up the lives of others. She was a woman of prayer interceding daily on behalf of her loved ones. She was a faithful servant to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, encompassing the heart of service to Christ and those around her, and exemplified resilience and grace in every aspect of her life. If you were hungry, she fed you, if you were thirsty, she gave you something to drink, if you were a stranger she took you in, if you needed clothes, she clothed you, if you were sick, she looked after you and if you were in prison she visited you. (Matthew 25:35-36). Emma will live on in the hearts of all who knew her, as her lessons of unconditional love, resilience, and generosity continue to inspire us. We find comfort in knowing she is at peace, resting in Heaven in the loving arms of her Savior. Emma Jean Blue Sullivan, you will be deeply missed, but your legacy will forever remind us to love as you loved and give as you gave. It is with peaceful hearts and reverent spirits, we celebrate the life and legacy of our beloved Emma Jean Blue Sullivan, at the age of 87. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a cherished friend to many. Emma was preceded in death by her mother, Tearessa Blue Howard; father, Thomas Blue; stepfather, Pinkey Howard; brother, Albert Stacy Blue; granddaughter, Sabrina Gwynn; best friend, Mary Mobly; and her devoted husband, Rufus Sullivan Jr., with whom she shared a lifetime of love and memories. She leaves behind to honor her memory and carry on her legacy her three loving sons and their wives: Reginald and Ileana, Ronald and LaDonna, and Roderick and Evelyn Sullivan. She is also survived by her older brother, Thomas Alexander Blue; dear sister, Estella Howard; and her adored grandchildren: Mark, Ron Jr., Princess, Rashad, Ryan, Ramona, Randall, Rebecca, Rachel, Rufus, Raquel, Rod Jr., Riana, Tasia, Travis, Jason, Jessica; and 34 great-grandchildren, 3 great-great grandchildren, and 7 god-children who brought her immense pride and joy. Emma’s legacy also lives on in a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, friends, and the countless generations of students she mentored and taught during her 30-year career as an educator at Clermont Elementary School.

Tributes

Emma B. Sullivan

November 11, 1937 - January 15, 2025