Lillian Lackland Sullivan

Lillian Lackland Sullivan passed away, Saturday February 25, 2012 at her residence, following a lengthy illness. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Dr. William D. (Biff) Coker will officiate. Interment will follow at Crown Hill Cemetery.

Mrs. Sullivan was born in Atlanta, GA, on August 29, 1934, to Thomas Cobbs Lackland, Jr., and Margaret Saville Lackland. She moved to Albany with her family and remained here for the rest of her life. She was a 1952 graduate of Albany High School. In 1954, she met Carlysle Sullivan from Macon, GA when he was a US Air Force fighter pilot stationed in Albany. They married a year later and together they had four sons.

Mrs. Sullivan excelled in piano from an early age and while still in high school, she studied summers at Wesleyan College. As a freshman in college, she attended Brenau University and studied with Mrs. Feldmann. During her junior year in college she began piano studies with Dr. Hugh Hodgson at the University of Georgia, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Piano. She received many honors and awards in piano and taught piano for many years. While at UGA, she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority.

Mrs. Sullivan was a loving wife and mother, who had a passion for her family and an abiding commitment to her community. She was a charter member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, where she served as a deacon and taught Sunday school. She served as president of the Suburban Woman's Club and was a long standing and faithful member of her Thursday Bridge Club. She was a member of the Junior League of Albany, the Albany Charity League, and was a long-time volunteer at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. She was deeply humbled and honored when the 2011 Lights of Love Ceremony was dedicated to her.

Mrs. Sullivan enjoyed her family's summer home at Lake Blackshear, University of Georgia football, reading, traveling, painting, music, gardening, entertaining her family and friends. Above all, she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents Thomas Cobbs Lackland, Jr. and Margaret Saville Lackland; a brother, Thomas Cobbs Lackland, III and his wife Addie Lackland.
She is survived by her loving husband of 56 years, Carlysle Sullivan; their four sons and their wives, Vic (Jane Anne); Tommy (Colleen); Frank (Meredith); and Byrd (Shana); eight grandchildren, Victor Sullivan, Margaret Sullivan, Saville Sullivan, Lilia Sullivan, Clarke Sullivan, Hayden Sullivan, Thomas Sullivan and Will Sullivan, Jr., all of Albany, GA; a brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Elena Lackland, of West Columbia, SC., six nieces and nephews and many dear friends.

Those desiring may make memorials to the Lackland Memorial Library at Covenant Presbyterian Church, c/o Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2126 W. Edgewater Dr., Albany, GA 31707; Lights of Love c/o Phoebe Foundation; Willson Hospice House c/o Phoebe Foundation, 417 Third Avenue, Albany, GA 31701.
The family will receive friends Monday from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Mathews Funeral Home.