Juanita Sullivan, 74, of rural Sturgeon Bay passed away on April 21, 2017, at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, WI with family at her side.

She was born April 11, 1943 in St. Louis, MO, to Harold and Selma Wilcox, the third of eleven children.  Juanita grew up helping raise her siblings and doing farm work, and recalled fondly the life of a child living in rural southeastern Missouri. The family migrated through Illinois to Wisconsin to pick cherries and found work at the Santa Rosa shoe company in Sturgeon Bay.

Working part-time at a local restaurant, she met the man that would be her husband and was united in marriage to James Sullivan on July 18, 1964. James and Juanita shared nearly 28 years of marriage, until he passed away on April 22, 1992 due to illness.

Juanita worked throughout her life, during which she also owned and co-owned a number of arts and crafts shops.  She was active in several community organizations and also enjoyed acting in local plays.

Her greatest avocation was that of a caregiver to many children and family members over the years. Even after her retirement from Hatco she continued her calling as a full-time foster parent to Maddox Oxford until her passing.  She also took great joy in caring for and nurturing almost any kind of animal that had hair or feathers!

Juanita was a member of the Corpus Christi parish and is survived by her children:  James Sullivan Jr. of St. Paul, MN, Debra (Owen) Braaten of Minneapolis, MN, Christopher Sullivan-Robinson of Sturgeon Bay, Misty (Isaiah) Scudder of Brussels, three grandchildren: Samuel, Nadia, and Isaiah Jr., and numerous foster children. She was preceded in death by her parents, and husband.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, April 28, 2017, at Corpus Christi Church.  Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery.  Friends may call at Forbes Funeral Home on Thursday from 4-7:00 p.m. and at the church on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.

Her family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the paramedics and staff of Door County Medical Center and St. Vincent Hospital for their care given to our mother.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Door County Humane Society in her name.

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