James “Jimmy” O’Sullivan

life story

A hardworking, hilarious, and heartfelt Irish immigrant

James “Jimmy” O’Sullivan, aged 78, passed away peacefully on June 9th, 2022 at his home in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

Jimmy was born March 2nd, 1944 in Kilworth, Ireland to John “Jackie” O’Sullivan and Mary (Kenny) O’Sullivan. 7th born of a total of 15 siblings, they shared just two bedrooms amongst them all and made the most of the humble home they shared.

Jimmy was a hard worker and was always up for a challenge. One of his first jobs after school was being a farm laborer at various local farms. He eventually started working at a bottling company up the road from his home called JL O’Brien’s Bottling. He briefly went to England to work at a bar with his brother-in-law Seamus for a year and a half. Jimmy also joined the Irish Reserve Army, Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil. In 1963, he decided to go to America. He was conscripted in the US Army in 1965 due to the Vietnam War and was stationed in the state of Georgia where he met his first wife, Carol Johnson, of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, married 1967. Jimmy and Carol had two children, Miranda O’Sullivan-Flickinger (Lonnie Flickinger) and James O’Sullivan (Crystal Vancil.) Jimmy remarried in 1979 to Vicki Nickolauson of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and raised two children, Kelly O’Sullivan-Carlson (Kevin Shultz,) and Jeremy O’Sullivan (Kim Stiernagle-O’Sullivan.) In 2005, Jimmy moved to Kentucky and remarried to Melissa Persley-O’Sullivan in 2007. After a long career in food quality assurance, he retired from ConAgra Foods as a quality engineer in 2010.

Jimmy loved spending time talking over a cup of coffee, always chatting with his neighbors, family, and anyone who liked to converse. He had a close relationship with his siblings, talking with them almost every day over Skype. He also spent a lot of time with his children and grandchildren, sharing treats and laughs with them all. He was fond of walking and gardening and loved keeping up with politics and current events.

Later in life, after spending so much of his time in the US, Jimmy decided to become an American citizen and was sworn in October 3rd, 2018; he was the only applicant who had served in the US Army. Despite spending most of his life in America, Jimmy was very proud of his Irish heritage and loved telling stories of childhood and listening to Irish folk music. He always shared Irish cuisine and traditions with the family, passing that on to his children and grandchildren. He would often joke to the young family that he was a leprechaun.

Jimmy is survived by his children and their partners, his six siblings and their loved ones: Maureen (O’Sullivan) O’Brien (John O’Brien,) Josie (O’Sullivan) Aherne (Billy Tobin,) Kay (O’Sullivan) Harrington (Eammon Harrington,) Mattie O’Sullivan (Joan Roche,) Gerard O’Sullivan (Kathleen Geaney,) and Philip O’Sullivan, then his grandchildren: Rory LaMorie (Cassandra Waltz,) Katelyn Flickinger (Rachele Smith,) MacKenzie Flickinger (Fletcher Christiansen,) Dillon O’Sullivan, Ashley O’Sullivan, Patrick O’Sullivan, Christopher O’Sullivan, and Vania O’Sullivan, his great-grandchildren, plus plenty of nieces and nephews in the states and across the pond.

He is preceded in death by his parents and nine siblings: Mickey, Pat “Loggy”, Bridie, Eily, Peggy, John, Tommy, Noelie, and Paulie.

Jimmy’s visitation will be at 2:30pm CST on Monday, June 13th, 2022 at Crescent Tide Funeral Home in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he will be cremated. His ashes will be laid to rest in the field across from his childhood home in Kilworth, Ireland. His contagious laughter and witty sense of life will be missed dearly by all who were blessed to know him.