Sullivan, Adeline Grace (Buresh) 1930-2004
SULLIVAN, BURESH, DVORACEK, HAUGEN, VAUGHAN, LEIGH
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 8/7/2012 at 12:22:20
Adeline Grace (Buresh) Sullivan was born on August 5, 1930, to William and Julia (Dvoracek) Buresh at their farm in Saratoga, Iowa. Her older brother is Theodore Buresh.
After attending the local country school, she graduated from Riceville (Iowa) High School in 1949. In 1951 she was awarded her Licensed Practical Nurse degree by the state of Iowa after attending the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.
In 1951, Adeline accepted the position of teletype operator for TWA at the Dayton Airport in Dayton, Ohio. One of her proudest moments was when she helped to land a plane. An airport in Indiana had lost its radio due to lightning, but could still communicate by teletype. Sitting by the radio in Dayton, she quickly and accurately typed and sent messages from the pilot to the Indiana tower. The Indiana airport would teletype back, and her coworker then relayed their message to the pilot. Working as part of a team, she helped the plane to land safely at the Indiana airport.
It was at the Dayton airport that she met her future husband, Howard McKinley Sullivan, from Fredericksburg, Virginia. They married on 12-23-52 in Lincoln, Illinois. To this union three children were born. They later divorced.
Adeline’s family was the most important value in her life. Her eldest son William Howard had two sons: Chad William (married to Charity, lives in Silver Lake, Indiana) and Corey Nathan. Her daughter Sarah Jane married Randy Haugen of Cresco, Iowa. Her youngest son Daniel Lee has two daughters: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Brenda Danyelle Leigh.
In 1964 the family moved from Waukon to Decorah. In 1965 she became a member of the Decorah Lutheran Church.
In 1967 she returned to nursing at the Smith Memorial Hospital in Decorah, Iowa. She was a careful record- keeper, but preferred working with the patients. For about 20 years she cared for her parents when they developed serious health problems in their last years. Before she retired from the renamed “Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital” in 1994, she had gained many friends amongst the patients and coworkers. She kept in touch with friends from the hospital by organizing regular breakfasts with them.
Retirement gave Adeline more time for her family. She had more time for gardening and genealogy. She was very fond of animals. She especially enjoyed spending time with her granddogs Lupus, Chewie, Rudolf, Yngwie, Luna and Ygor.
On August 9, 2004, she became a resident of the Oneota Riverview Care Facility in Decorah, Iowa. On Sunday, August 15, 2004, Adeline died due to illness resulting from a heart attack and kidney failure. She is preceded by her parents, her son William, and her grandson Corey. She is survived by one brother, Theodore (of Lutherville, Maryland); one daughter, Sarah (of Decorah, Iowa); one son, Daniel (of Decorah, Iowa); and three grandchildren: Chad, Stevie, and Brenda.
Having worked on a farm in her early days instilled a solid work ethic. In death, she willed her body to the University Of Iowa College Of Medicine as a final act of service.
Memorial services for Adeline will be held by Rev. James Glesne on Saturday, August 21, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. at the Decorah Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please send a donation to the WCMH Hospice in Decorah, Iowa, in her memory.
The family thanks all of Adeline’s relatives and friends for sharing her life. Blessed be her memory.
Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
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