*Please note correction: John Wyman Sulley Jr., birth year is 1954.
DOB
Oct 2, 1954
Thank
you,
~ IN MEMORY ~
Military veteran, DL Capt. John W. Sulley Jr.
October 2, 1954 - January 25, 2022
Notice of passing….retired Delta pilot Captain John
W. Sulley Jr., age 67. Captain Sulley joined
Delta Air Lines 06-09-1988 and retired in May 2005…..see career background
below obituary. Captain Sulley is
survived by his wife Sue and by his children plus many more dear family
members.
Obituary information may be viewed online at
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary : John Sulley, Jr.
October 2, 1953 - January 25, 2022
Salida, Colorado - John W. Sulley, Jr. passed away
on 1/25/22 from complications of COVID, surrounded by family and love. He was
67.
Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to John and Dorothy
Sulley, John's family left farm country for Colorado when he was 12, making
Colorado Springs their permanent home.
Just after high school, John met his future wife,
Sue Walker, and their relationship grew when attending different colleges. At
CSU, John was discouraged from continuing in the family business of
agriculture, as they lacked a legacy farm or ranch. He switched majors to
Industrial Arts and teaching. Open for adventure after college, he moved onto
the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, NM to teach auto mechanics at the high
school. Sue joined him, and in 1977 they were married in Colorado Springs,
their vows based on an old Navajo ceremony.
From an early age, John felt "the need for
speed" on the ground and in the air, including drag racing and pit crew
work with fellow enthusiasts. He got his first pilot license at 17 years old.
In 1978 he abandoned his American muscle cars for the first of his 5 Triumph
sports cars. He never lost that love of sports cars and racing, still owning
that same Triumph when he died.
After teaching in Shiprock, John followed his
dream to go faster and fly higher by joining the Air Force. Sue, meanwhile,
studied physical therapy at UNM in Albuquerque. After his training, due to his
teaching experience and laid-back attitude, John was selected as an instructor
pilot for new trainees at Vance AFB in Enid, OK. By this time, Sue had earned
her PT license and joined him there, where they remained for three years.
John's next assignment was piloting KC-135's out
of Castle AFB north of Merced, CA, to refuel bombers, fighters, experimental
aircraft, VIP's and any aircraft needing fuel. John bought his own first plane
in 1986 and upgraded to a Bellanca in 1991.
In 1988, he joined Delta Air Lines and for almost
20 years flew passengers around the US, Eastern Europe, Central and South
America, and Canada. Working with so many pilots over the years, he found
people he knew in airports all over the world. After retirement, he asked to be
called Sulley as there were so many others named John. And when asked, he liked
to say he was the "Real Sulley". During this time, John and Sue
started their family, with the births of their daughter Caitlin and son Jeff.
After his retirement from Delta, the family stayed
in Merced until Sue retired. Then they left the flatlands for the Rockies,
moving to Salida in 2013. Here John enjoyed all that Salida has to offer - good
friends, food, bars, outdoor sports, and music. John tolerated hiking with Sue
and the Skikers, loved breakfast with the ROMEO's, telling stories of his
flying years, his love of Formula 1 racing, skiing, and travels.
Always willing to help out neighbors and friends,
he was the go-to guy for anything mechanical. John loved his kids and arranged
fantastic trips and ski vacations for the family. He was a danger in
super-soaker wars around the pool and alpine snowball fights. He was an avid
and inventive cook and mixologist. Family and friends enjoyed his excellent
dinners and cocktails. His grilled pizza was tops.
John faced and overcame several health problems in
recent years, including cancer diagnosed in 2017 and some difficult
neurological issues. He would urge everyone to get recommended colonoscopy
tests.
John is survived by his wife, Sue Sulley of
Salida, daughter, Caitlin Sulley of Dallas, son, Jeffrey Sulley (and wife
Hannah) of Seattle, as well as his father John Sulley Sr, brother Chris Sulley,
sister Janis Zarayasi, and sister Ann Sulley, as well as many Walker family
members and so many friends around the US.
Thanks to the many medical teams that helped so
much in the past few years. You took such good care of him and helped him
continue to enjoy all of life.
If you remember Sulley, on October 2nd (his
birthdate), raise a cocktail and toast this wonderful man, gone too soon.
………………………..
Delta Air Lines :
Jun 1988 - May 2005 · 17 yrs
LAX, NYC, CVG, SLCLAX, NYC, CVG, SLC
B727FE, B737-200,300FO,B757,767-200,300,400FO
B737-800,300CAPTB727FE,
B737-200,300FO,B757,767-200,300,400FO B737-800,300CAPT
United States Air Force :
Aug 1979 - Jun 1988 · 8 yrs 11 mos
Vance AFB, OK Castle AFB, CAVance AFB, OK Castle
AFB, CA
T-37 Instructor Pilot, KC-135 Aircraft Commander
and Instructor Pilot
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