Daniel John Sullivan, age 75, passed away peacefully Wednesday morning, April 9, 2025 at Morristown Medical Center. Born in South Amboy, NJ, to the late Timothy F. and Marilyn (nee Scofield) Sullivan, Dan grew up in Spring Lake, NJ with his four brothers and one sister. They were avid fishermen and rode their bikes everywhere in town. His Dad was a history teacher at Wall High School. One Summer, his Mom and Dad had a drive-up root beer stand on Highway 35 in Eatontown which sold hotdogs, hamburgers, shrimp in a basket, etc. His Mom was the carhop and took her wedding ring off, because she got better tips. One day a refrigerated meat delivery truck pulled in with a delivery and lowered the loading ramp at the back of the truck. Dan, about 6, decided to go up the ramp at the back of the truck and cool off. The driver came out and rolled up the ramp and closed the back door with Dan inside and proceeded down Route 35 to go to the warehouse, as this was the last delivery of the day. Dan was in a panic in the pitch dark and pounded on the side of the truck, but the driver could not hear him because of the refrigerator unit. By Fort Monmouth, they had a traffic cop directing traffic who heard the pounding and told the driver to pull over, as something was moving in the back of the truck. The driver and cop opened the side door and Dan flew out into the arms of the cop. Many years later, Dan still remembered the look the cop gave the driver! In the summers, the family would rent their house out and move to a small bungalow in Seaside Park. They would fish every day in the ocean and crab in the bay. Dan's Dad worked for the Summer as a park ranger at Island Beach State Park, and Dan enjoyed riding with him in his patrol truck. Dan received an Air Force ROTC Scholarship and graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburg, PA. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He was stationed at Langley AFB in Virginia as a Squadron Aircraft Maintenance Officer with a C-130E Tactical Air Force Group. He travelled the world on multiple deployments including a tour at a secret air base in northern Thailand on the Mekong River across from Laos called Nakhon Phanom. Dan was stationed there for the Christmas bombing offensive by B-52s in 1972. Nakhon Phanom was the closest base to North Vietnam and was where the HH-53 rescue helicopters and A-1 Sandys were based. Dan watched as B-52s returned from North Vietnam on fire and went vertical and crashed; he saw the crewmen floating down on parachutes. Dan's last assignment was as the Quality Control Officer for the Air Force One Presidential Unit at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. He subsequently began a distinguished career in aerospace defense, and met his beloved wife, Phyllis at Space Communications, where it is she claims "she taught him everything he knew!" Dan stayed in the aerospace industry for many years, working at various companies including Smith Industries, Honeywell, and ITT Corporation before retiring from Excellis Aerospace, Clifton, NJ in 2015. He was an avid fisherman and a voracious reader. Dan is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Filomena "Phyllis" (nee Paglia) Sullivan; two beloved daughters, Sarah Sullivan of Pine Brook, NJ and Elizabeth Viviano and her husband, Christopher of Kinnelon, NJ; four dear siblings, Kevin Sullivan and his wife, Anne of Pennsylvania, Phillip Sullivan and his wife, Marcia of Pennsylvania, Marilyn Monnette of Texas, and Brian Sullivan of Texas; a sister-in-law, Antonia Sullivan of Pennsylvania; many nieces and nephews; his "faithful dog," Charlie; and his "grand-dog," Esmeralda. In addition to his parents, Dan was preceded in death by a brother, Timothy Sullivan and a brother-in-law, Michael Monnette. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass on Monday, April 14, 2025, 10:00am at St. Ann R.C. Church, 781 Smith Road, Parsippany, NJ. Cremation will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family would be most grateful for memorial gifts to Hope House Food Pantry, 101-103 Bassett Highway, Dover, NJ 07801 (https://ccpaterson.org).