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The Honorable Daniel J. Sullivan, retired, died on June 19, concluding a remarkable life lived with courage and accomplishment. He was 68.

Judge Sullivan was shot in the back as a teenager in Sept. 1974, resulting in a high level of paraplegia confining him to a wheelchair. It did not confine his ambitions or zest for life. Undeterred, Sullivan earned a GED diploma while in rehab. He then completed a bachelor of science at Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, MO.

In 1984, he earned a Juris Doctorate at DePaul University. He began his legal career as a public defender in Cook County. In 1992, Sullivan was elected a Circuit Court Judge as a Republican.

Sullivan served 20 years in the Domestic Relations Division of the Cook County Circuit Court, earning a reputation for clearheaded kindness and knowledge of the law. He was a fiercely independent and fun-loving man who was known and beloved in the community as well as the horseplaying habitues of Arlington Park and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, where he summered.

In addition to his wife, Hon. Susan Kennedy Sullivan, he is survived by his sisters Maureen (Michael) Tedor, Eileen Sullivan, Kathy (Kevin) Kelly, Patricia (Hon. Gerald) Cleary, brother Timothy (Carol) Sullivan. His parents, Therese and Gene Sullivan, as well as brother Gregory Sullivan predeceased.

Sullivan was a cherished brother-in-law of John B. Kennedy (Carol Hammerman), Vincent (Caroline) Kennedy, David (Kathy) Kennedy, Jane (Patrick) Fitzgibbons, Mary Kennedy (Joe Drape), Cindy (the late James) Kennedy, Lauretta (the late Royce) Mulholland, and Madeleine (John) Engerman. He was the proud uncle of 35 nieces and nephews, and 19 grand nieces and nephews.

Visitation Monday, June 26, 2023, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Donnellan Family Funeral Services, 10045 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, IL 60077.

Funeral Mass Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 10:00 a.m. at Saint Juliana Parish, 7201 North Oketo Avenue, Chicago, IL 60631.

To virtually attend the Funeral Mass, scroll down this page to access the link to the webcast. The streaming will begin at Mass time.

Interment Sacred Heart Cemetery, Northbrook, IL.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: 

The Well of Mercy

6339 North Fairfield Avenue

Chicago, IL 60659