Effa L. Sullivan died on 29 April 1951 in Artesia, Los Angeles County, California. She was the wife of Jack C. Sullivan, my grandmother’s brother.
Her obituary gives a little information about her: A rosary was recited at Holy Family Church in Artesia on 3 May 1951 and after a funeral mass on the next day, she was buried at Calvary Cemetery. Besides her husband, a sister, Mary McCord of Artesia, and a brother, Ira Wilson of Los Angeles, survived her.[1]
However, what I do have is a copy of the eulogy recited at her funeral by Father O’Connor. She appeared to be very active in service to the parish and he recounted those activities. My guess the copy of the eulogy somehow made it to my grandmother and it was found her in papers.[2]
"An Expression of Sympathy from the Priest and People of the Parish
to Mr. Sullivan, to her Brother and Sister and Family. We tender the
sympathy of all our parishioners, and all the sisters of our
school. Mrs. Sullivan was known by all and loved by all in this
parish, and beyond its confines by those who came in contact with her in her
work for God. She was known and respected by all in this community
no matter what race or creed. Her death has been a lesson to us all
for it came swiftly and suddenly, almost in the Church she loved so
much. But death did not catch her unprepared, for her life was a
work and preparation for eternity. Others have many works and their
days are full, but their works die with them. Her work was for God,
and like God it is eternal, and the fruits of her labor will be in every season
and in every year to the end of time. In death she had joined others
of her coworkers; she had joined the other good officers and members
of her Altar Society who have gone to their reward. Today her mortal
life is over, and she has returned to the God who gave her life. We
fold her hands in rest, but those hands are not empty. They carry
with them a lifetime of work for God's Holy Church. They carry the
fruits of her labors. They carry the fulfillment of her
wishes. They carry with them the completion of her
desires. They carry with them the accomplishments of the present,
and the blessings of the future.
“Where ever and whenever there is mention of the Church in Artesia, there will
always be the memory of her name, the example of her toils, the strength of her faith,[3]
the vision of her hopes, the warmth of her love. It is altogether
fitting that the former Pastors of this Parish are present for her Requiem, for
as Pastors and Priests, she was deeply attached to each one of them as Priests
and friends. She loved the Priesthood, for she saw in the Priest the
ambassador of Christ on earth. It is also fitting that the sisters
and children of our School should sign her Requiem, for all her life was
dedicated to work for the children even before there was a Catholic
School. If today she is borne to her grave on Spartan Shield, she
knew these young men when they were children and taught them their first
prayers.
“If we have a School, Convent, Hall, and Rectory today, it was because of her work. If today we have most of our children in Catholic School, it is because of her labors. If we have the whispered prayers of children in school, it is because of her devotion to the cause of God. If we have the joyous shout of children at play about our ears, it is because of her love. If we have a Convent where in veiled women dedicate their lives to prayer and work, it is because of her piety. If we have a Hall so equipped, it is because she considered nothing too good for those who work for God. If we have a wilderness turned into a place of beauty, it is because she charged all things she touched with her indomitable spirit. If we have all these things perfected, it is because of her vision and all these things are dedicated to the work of God because her whole life and will and energies were dedicated to God's work.
“We feel that she is keeping us this day before the throne of God, and that she
asks His Blessed Mother to bless the works dedicated to her name under the
title of Our Lady of Fatima. For me as for you this is a hard and
heavy task to say Requiem to Mrs. Sullivan. She worked closely with
me and all the Pastors and Priests of this Parish in the growth of the Parish. We,
and we alone can truly measure her devotion to the cause of
God. Others build on her foundation, and her foundations were deep
and solid. Her friendship and devotion is to us a personal
loss; a void that cannot be filled and we shall not see her likes
again. In this place she loved, we are gathered today to show our
love and to pay our respects to her. Fittingly she spent her last
night here in the Church she loved, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament,
in the presences of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Terese and
St. John and all the Saints she loved. And we who loved her in life,
let us not forget her in death. Let us pray to Almighty God to give
her in his mercy a safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace
everlasting. Amen."
Reading this, one learns that she was very involved with the parish. It was true. The Diocese newspaper, The Tidings, has articles about her involvement.
In 1948, an article about the first big event in their new Our Lady of Fatima Hall was a four-day fall festival from November 18 through 21 and the proceeds went to the convent building fund. Mrs. John C. Sullivan, the Altar Society president helped direct the plans along with Father Patrick O’Connor, for the Saturday ham dinner and dance party.[4]
In another article in 1947, she was part of the committee that celebrated the groundbreaking of the new school.[5]
I have but one photo of Effa and she appears looking down. (Actually, Jack and the person to her right are also looking down. Were they praying?)
She was the daughter of Benjamin Charles Wilson and Grace Fisher, born on 18 April 1891 in Black Hawk County, Iowa.[6] I have not found the marriage record for Jack and Effa, but from census records, it was around 1922.
Jack lived alone until his death in 1978.[7] They had no children, so no one to remember either Jack or Effa. This post is my way of remembering Effa L. (Wilson) Sullivan.
#52 Ancestors: Week 33: Strength
This is my sixth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.
[1] “Mrs.
Sullivan Rosary Thursday,” Independent (Long Beach, Calif), 2 May 1951,
p. 5, col. 1.
[2]
Eulogy for Effa L. Sullivan, given by Father O’Connor, Holy Family Church,
Artesia; copy in Anne M. (Sullivan) Hork’s paper; Hork Family Collection, author’s
collection. Note, some spelling errors were corrected for ease of reading.
[3]
This is my emphasis, not Father O’Connor’s, as I wanted to highlight the words
that prompted this post and how it matches the theme of this week’s 52
Ancestors.
[4] “Around
the Parishes: Holy Family, Artesia,” The Tidings, 12 Nov 1948, p. 33,
col. 2.
[5] “Artesia
Parish to Break Ground for New School,” The Tidings, 5 Dec 1947, p. 30,
col. 5.
[6] Black
Hawk County, Iowa, Register of Births, Bk 2, p 93, 1891, #4000, Effa La Verne
Elizabeth Wilson, FHL film 1034314i4.
[7] State
of California Vital Record, Death Certificate of John C Sullivan (certificate
copy), 0190-035375, state #78-104689.
That is an amazing eulogy. Effa was obviously valued greatly by the parish and had a strong faith, the priest who wrote the eulogy captured that most certainly. Thank you for sharing.
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