Joyce Ann (Barron) Sullivan

Joyce Ann (Barron) Sullivan, 84, of Lead Hill, AR., Passed away on Christmas Day 2022 at home with her family by her side.  She was born January 30th, 1938, in Yalobusha County Mississippi to Earl and Clister (Moore) Barron.  She is preceded in Death By her husband John R. “Porky” Sullivan Sr.   and a son John R. “Bud” Sullivan Jr. and her parents and siblings.  She is survived by her daughters:  Patricia "Patty" Sullivan-Rone of Aurora, Paula “Pj” Sullivan of Lead Hill, AR. and a Grandson John “Zach” Rone of Aurora and many nieces and nephews. 

Joyce was raised in Water Valley MS.  She graduated from high school at 17.  Immediately after graduation she moved to San Angelo Tx.  and worked for the San Angelo Times.  Soon she moved back to Memphis Tn., to be closer to her family and worked for AT&T as a long-distance operator.  She literally refused a ride home from Elvis Presley one evening when she was walking home from AT&T because “he was a nut”.   

She met Porky through some friends of hers that were stationed at the Air Force Base in Greenville Ms.  About a year later they were married in Sunflower County MS. and moved to Kansas City when he got out of the Air Force.  They moved to Aurora permanently in 1959 to raise their family. 

The Sullivan household was known by many where all were welcome, there was plenty to eat and drink.  Life on ‘Jasper Street” included moving the furniture on Saturday nights and firing up the console stereo for hours of dancing.  Joyce and Porky were well known for being able to clear a dance floor doing the jitterbug.   Porky could jitterbug with a woman on each arm, usually Mom and his lifelong friend Janet Anderson.  I suppose they are doing this very thing right now.     

Joyce had a huge garden and canned hundreds of quarts of garden items every year.  She grew the biggest tomatoes in town.   She was famous for homemade cornbread, potato salad and unfiltered opinions.  None of us had a green bean out of the grocery store until we left home – and even then, she sent a few quarts with us.  We would fight over her pear preserves. 

During the time she raised her family, she was Girl Scout leader, a cub scout mom, room mother, PTA volunteer, Booster Club Member, Band Mom and just about every other thing you could do to support us kids.   She was proud of our Houn Dawg family and bragged many times that the Sullivans had produced three generations of football players that were all linemen.  “They were all built like refrigerators.  They couldn’t run, but you couldn’t get past them either”! 

After Porky died, she went to work at The Hudson House, Aurora Nursing Center and the Aurora Hospital and became a Certified Nurses Aid. Long after Porky died, Mom had attended an AHS reunion of Dad’s class and ran across O.A.  Chaney, an old friend of Dads.    They enjoyed each other’s company and spent many years together racing horses, traveling, and running back and forth between the Ozarks and Mt. Vernon OR. 

She was always willing to tell you where you were doing wrong.  This lecture usually started with ‘You need to…..” or “ you need to be grateful for what you have”.    More than once in my career, I called Mom and asked her for the ‘be grateful’ speech. 

She was a lifelong Democrat and volunteered at the polls for years.  She was a hard-core Democrat and could support her position to anyone willing to debate facts and the issues of working folks. Her latest pollical accomplishment was how proud she was to ‘live long enough to vote against that SOB Trump’. 

Chaney and Mom bought a house on Bull Shoals Lake where they enjoyed retirement.  She was a ferocious reader that loved history and made handmade quilts and embroidered tea towels like she was getting paid a piece count at a factory.  She could work the hardest sudoku puzzles with ease.  

Lots and Lots of good memories.  Rest Peacefully Mom.  You deserve it.

Special thanks to Legacy Hospice and Kathy Frantz who provided all the support anyone could ask for.    A special heartfelt thank you to the wonderful gals at the Cancer Center, Michelle, Tiffany, Maria, Priscilla and Kathy Frantz for care.   Robin Fojas at the Lead Hill Clinic is an angel on this earth.  There is not enough money to buy the support she has given to "Miss Joyce" 

A graveside service will be held at Orange Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Auroa, MO. on Highway K, on Thursday December 29th, 2022 at 10am.