Jourdan Sullivan

Jourdan Sullivan Jr., 91, of Underwood, died Saturday, November 8, 2025, Good Samaritan of Battle Lake, Minnesota.

He was born February 26, 1934, in Tacoma, the son of J.T. Sullivan, Sr., and Elizabeth Amy (Reynolds) Sullivan. He attended Midland Elementary and Junior High Schools. He withdrew during his junior year at Lincoln High School, where he met his future wife, enlisting in the United States Navy on May 4, 1951. He married Sharon G. Mosman, formerly of Staples, Minnesota, at Hope Lutheran Church in Tacoma on August 16, 1952. Mr. Sullivan attended boot camp at the Naval Recruit Training Center, San Diego. His 26-year naval career took him to the conflicts and countries of southeast Asia, and, during numerous east coast deployments, to England, ports of call in the Mediterranean, and on to the middle-east. His numerous stateside duty stations included Naval Air Stations in Florida, Texas, Rhode Island, and California. He had eleven deployments aboard the aircraft carriers USS Oriskany, Bennington, Shangri La, Essex, Coral Sea, Lexington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served in nine different aircraft squadrons, including the famous Top Gun squadron at NAS Miramar, California, where he became a commissioned officer. He was entitled to wear several medals and ribbons as a result of his service, including the USN/USMC Commendation Medal w/gold star, USN Unit Commendation w/bronze star, USN Good Conduct Medal w/3 bronze stars, and additional awards earned in Korea and Vietnam.

Referred to in navy slang as a "Mustang", Mr. Sullivan rose through the enlisted ranks from Seaman Recruit (E-1) to Master Chief Avionics Technician (E-9), and was commissioned as an Ensign (0-1) in 1963. He retired as a Lieutenant Commander (0-4) in 1977.

In 1967, he received orders from the Bureau of Naval Personnel to be Flag Lieutenant and Aide to Commander, Fleet Air Alameda, becoming the only Aviation Limited Duty Officer in the history of the U.S. Navy ever assigned as an admiral's aide. Other significant highlights of his colorful military career were his experiences as an airborne drone control operator at the Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, and his two years on exchange duty with the Royal Navy as Aircraft Appraisals Coordinator at HMS Daedalus, a RN air station in the UK.

His hobbies and off-duty activities were nearly as varied as his military duties; he was a pianist, calligrapher, cinema photographer and skilled lapidary. He enjoyed athletics, particularly men's volleyball, which he coached and played internationally. Following his retirement from the navy, Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan operated the family farm originally homesteaded by Mrs. Sullivan's great grandparents near Underwood, Minnesota, raising cattle, poultry, and their own crops. During this time, Mr. Sullivan became involved in local politics, becoming chairman of the Otter Tail County, l\1N, Republican Party. He was appointed to serve on the County Planning & Advisory Committee, and a County Restructuring Study Commission. In 1991, he was hired as a county employee, serving 18 years as a County Veterans Service Officer. He retired from the position of Veterans Service Director in 2008.

He was a Life Member and Past Commander in the VFW, a Life Member of the D.A.V., and an Honorary Life Member and a Past Commander in the American Legion. He served several years as a member and chairman of the Department of Minnesota's Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Committee, and had a National appointment to the Legion's Americanism Committee. He also belonged to the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), The Fleet Reserve Association, and the Navy Memorial Assoc.

Mr. Sullivan was a 50-year, plus, life member of the Masonic fraternity. Having served at the head of all the York Rite bodies, he was invited to become a member of a number of honorary Masonic bodies, and belonged to Minnesota Priory No. 14, Knights of the York Cross of Honor.

In Lieu of flowers or monetary gifts, please find a way to actively support military veterans, particularly those who are ill or seriously disabled from combat causes.

Celebration of Life: 11:30 – 1:00 Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at Glende-Nilson Funeral Home, Fergus Falls, with lunch served during this time. Military Rites: American Legion Post 489, Underwood, Minnesota. Burial at Sverdrup Lutheran Cemetery.