Jari Lynn Sullivan was born in Camas, Wash., to parents Billie and Don Wilson and passed away in her Illinois home at the age of 85 in the loving arms of her husband January 2, after a lengthy illness.
Jari lived in several places before landing in Ulysses, where she graduated from Grant County Rural High School. She then attended Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
She had three daughters and moved to California where she fell in love with horses while working as an administrative assistant for a land developer of horse properties. She also worked at Source Capital for a number of years.
Jari loved and watched all manner of sports, most especially football. Go Cowboys!
In 1988, Jari attended her 30-year high school reunion in Colorado Springs, Colo., where she was reacquainted with Dan Sullivan who she first met in the third grade. They quickly fell in love and wed February 4, 1989. Jari was married to Dan for 36 years and was happiest on their horse farm located near Elizabeth, Ill.
Jari and Dan lived in Northwest Illinois from 1995 and got into horses and the breeding of horses. Jari supervised a Thoroughbred breeding herd with up to 60 horses on her farm and sold many to China as it was revitalizing its racing. Later, Jari helped with a cow calf herd as the family withdrew from horse racing as age advanced.
Jari is survived by her husband, Dan Sullivan; her daughters: Jennifer Lyn (Jack) Hicks of California, Jamie Lea Taylor of Arizona, and Julie Leone (Joe) Banigan of Illinois; her stepchildren: Daniel (Cindy) Sullivan of Illinois, Colleen (Eli) Pars of Illinois, and Heather (Al) Maldonado of Illinois, her niece, Heather Meeks of Texas; her grandchildren: Stephanie, Dustin, Emily, Nicole, Tristan, Ramsey, Keegan, and Jaiden; her step grandchildren: Mary, Maggie, Jillian, and Spencer; and great grandchildren: Sofia, Parker, Westin, Wyatt, Henley, and Jazz.
A memorial visitation is planned for 4 – 7 p.m., today, Thursday, January 8, at Law Jones Funeral Home, 107 S. Main St., Elizabeth, Illinois.
