A. Noel Sullivan, Jr. (Noel), 91, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on February 5, 2025.
Born in Shelton, Neb., on October 20, 1933, he was the son of Bernadine A. Sullivan and A. Noel Sullivan, Sr. He is preceded in death by his older sister, Patricia S. Teague.
He is survived by Ann Gobbel Sullivan, his loving wife of nearly 68 years; his sister, Sharon S. Shepard; his two devoted daughters, Susan S. Riley and Lee Ann Anderson (George); his three loving grandchildren: Christine Riley, Kathleen R. Timmons (Clay) and James Anderson; his precious great-grandson, Noel Timmons.
In 1945, Noel moved with his mother, grandparents and two sisters from Lincoln, Neb., to Chapel Hill, N.C. He attended Chapel Hill High School, Christ School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Class of 1956), where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity; varsity soccer team; German Club Executive; Monogram Club; 13 Club.
Upon graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Ann, and he enrolled in the U.S. Army in 1957, serving in Washington, D.C. Noel began his lifelong insurance career as a special agent in 1958 with the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company in New York City, N.Y. He settled his family in Nashville, Tenn., in 1959.
He went on to found his own agency as a partner in Polk & Sullivan Group in 1975, where he pioneered the entertainment insurance industry. Country music star Waylon Jennings was the agency’s first entertainment account and over the years the agency’s longtime customers included well-known performers such as Ray Charles, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn and Shania Twain.
His love of music began in college when he organized a concert with the German Club for the March of Dimes where Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton performed. Outside of music, his favorite activities included golf, fishing, and cheering on the North Carolina Tar Heels and Tennessee Titans. He also cherished time spent on his boats in Sandestin, Fla.
Noel served on the boards of the W.O. Smith Music School; UNC General Alumni Association; 100 Club; National Association of Casualty and Surety Agents; Nashville Chamber of Commerce; the Country Music Association. Noel was a member of Belle Meade Country Club; original member of the Golf Club of Tennessee; Sertoma Club.
Inspired by his mother and mother-in-law, both teachers, he was a lifelong advocate for education and supported the Dept. of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill High School.
He loved his family dearly and was a loyal friend to many. He will be deeply missed by his family and all who knew him. His family takes comfort in knowing that he is free and that he is with God.
To honor his life, a funeral service will be held on Friday, February 14, 2025 from 1 PM to 2 PM at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37205. A visitation and reception will immediately follow from 2 PM until 3:30 PM, at Belle Meade Country Club, located at 815 Belle Meade Blvd, Nashville, TN 37205. A private burial service will take place at a later time in Chapel Hill, N.C.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Noel’s honor to the W.O. Smith Music School or the Virginia Carter Gobbel Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Online condolences may be shared at www.marshalldonnellycombs.com
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