Photo © by Kay Marshall

Photo © by Jan Fendley

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Fioretta Scofield Mowrey Sullivan was born June 3, 1925 at home in Muskogee Oklahoma and passed from this life on April 9, 2014.  Her parents William Asbury Mowrey and Beatrice Regina Scofield were married in Chicago in 1917 prior to Sgt. Scofield going overseas with the American Expedition Air Force as a part of  his military organization, the 119th Ammunition Train.  Both were from Muskogee, Oklahoma.  The occasion of their being in Chicago was that she was a member of the SAN CARLO OPERA Company and the CHICAGO CIVIC OPERA.

Fioretta was raised occasionally with aunts and in her mother's teaching career across small towns in Kansas and Missouri, graduating from Westport High school in Kansas City, Missouri in 1941 at age 15.  During the war she worked for the Kansas City Southern Railway.  Her schooling included University of Missouri, Kansas City, the New England School of Music and finally the University of Oklahoma where she graduated in 1949 with a general fine arts degree with a voice major.  She graduated from the School of Library Science at the University of Oklahoma winning the Herrick Award as the outstanding student in that School in 1950. 

She met her husband John Sullivan on his return from the service in December of 1945.   They were married at McFarlin Methodist Church on March 12, 1948 while both were students at the University of Oklahoma.  After graduating from school, she was the cataloguing librarian for the University of Oklahoma Medical School and was a reference librarian for the Capitol Hill branch and at the main branch of the Oklahoma City library system.  In June of 1955 she followed John to Kansas City. 

Her first son Brian Sullivan was born in 1956 in Kansas City.    For two years the family was moved to Atlanta Georgia because John has been named Regional Manager of the Southeast and traveled from there.  Her second son, Timothy Ralph Hardie Sullivan was born in Jacksonville Florida in 1961 while the couple was living in Neptune Beach.  The couple had moved there because of the concentration of business developed in that area.  John and Fioretta returned to Kansas City and lived there until June of 1971.  In 1971 the family moved back to Norman.  Fioretta was a devoted mother and wife and stayed home raising her family during this time. 

In June of 1977 an insurance agency named Commercial Insurance Services was born with Fioretta and John as the principals of the company.  She was the corporate secretary and also served as in-house auditor for this company and it’s affiliates.  Operational companies were eventually sold in 2004. In the meantime, the companies had become the employer of 65 individuals. 

Aside from the business involvement Fioretta was an avid reader and was involved in the early days of the Great Books Discussion Groups as a leader and mentor.  She had an avid interest in Greek mythology, science fiction, and at the time of her death was engaged in re-reading The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire for the second time.  She was always interested in the United States Embroidery Guild and was a member.  Her needle point works at Cleveland County fairs won many first prizes and she enjoyed art as well as music throughout her life.  Fioretta was an active participant in the book club at First Christian Church as well as an avid student participator reading the Bible for five years in the "Disciple Bible Study". 

Fioretta is survived by her husband John, son Brian Sullivan and his wife Cathy and her son Christopher Marlow, of Edmond Oklahoma, son Timothy Sullivan of Norman, sister-in-law Jean Robertson and her husband Dean of Pryor Oklahoma. 

Fioretta was placed in the care of Havenbrook Funeral Home in Norman Oklahoma.  Funeral service will be at First Christian Church, 220 S. Webster Ave., Norman at 2:00 pm, Monday, April 14,2014 with interment at I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Norman, Oklahoma.
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Obit for John posted by Janet Laubhan Flickinger
Dec 5, 1923 - Jan 16, 2015

http://www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com/

John Gerald Sullivan of Norman was born December 5 1923 in Barnsdall Oklahoma to Lyles C and Beva E Sullivan and passed from this life on January 16  2015.

John proudly served his country during WWII in the United States Army 698th Petroleum Engineers which principally built the major pipeline system from Cherbourg France to a point across the Seine and received a special unit commendation for quick construction. The unit was then moved to Antwerp and later completed the pipeline across the Rhine at Mainz. He received battle stars for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe. John later wrote the history of his service in the book, Fuel to the Troops. Upon his return from service in December 1945, he met his wife Fioretta while they were both students at the University of Oklahoma. They were married March 12, 1948 and celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary shortly before her death in April of 2014. John graduated from the OU Law School in 1950. His insurance career began with Farmers Insurance Group as a claims adjuster; working up to Claims Branch Manager in Oklahoma City by 1956. John began selling commercial insurance in 1957 and the family later moved to Atlanta Jacksonville and Kansas City. John worked for Farmers for 21 years and went on to be the Regional Manager for the Midwest and Southeast for the Truck Insurance Exchange. He received the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation in 1974. He was President of the Central Oklahoma Chapter of CPCU, National Director from 1986-1988 and served on the National Ethics Committee for 23 years ending in 2006. John started Commercial Insurance Services in 1977 which later insured 12% of the full truckload traffic in the United States. The business was sold in 2004.  John was very active in business and community throughout his life. He lobbied the Cerebral Palsy Institute into existence in 1948 as part of his interest in veteran’s affairs. Starting in 1969 he testified before Congress and many state legislatures on the subjects of motor carrier safety and insurance costs and again on truck line deregulation in 1979. He also served 16 years as Oklahoma Ombudsman for the Employer Support of the Reserve and Guard. John enjoyed many long standing business relationships and personal friendships throughout his life.  He always felt blessed to lead a life of serving in a place of trust to his clients and employees.

John was preceded in death by his wife Fioretta.

John is survived by his son Brian Sullivan and wife Catherine and her son Christopher Marlow of Edmond Oklahoma, son Timothy Sullivan of Norman, sister Jean Robertson and her husband Dean of Pryor Oklahoma. 

Services are under the direction of Havenbrook Funeral Home in Norman with visitation from 2:00pm to 8:00 pm Sunday, January 18 2015. 

Funeral service will be at First Christian Church 220 S. Webster Norman at 2:00 pm on January 19 2015 with interment at IOOF Cemetery in Norman.