Susan Sullivan
Dec 24, 1946 -
Jun 9, 2026
Susan Carol Meekins Sullivan, 79, passed away of natural causes on June 9, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. She will be remembered fondly as a loving and wise mother of four, grandmother of 11, an advocate for those without one, a lawmaker and a close friend.
Susan was born on Christmas Eve, 1946, the first child of Russ and Adele Meekins, who arrived in Alaska earlier that year and homesteaded in the Mountain View neighborhood of Anchorage.
During her life Susan experienced first-hand Alaska's boom-and-bust years. She witnessed the growth fueled by Cold War military spending, the devastation of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, the rapid expansion that accompanied construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline and the economic downturn of the 1980s. Politics was the lingua franca of Susan's childhood home. Her father served in the first Alaska State Legislature, and as a result Congressman Nick Begich, Senator Bob Bartlett and Governor Bill Egan were frequent dinner guests.
Susan was always industrious, and worked from an early age, whether moving cars around on her father's car lot or as Anchorage's "Mouseketeer Susie" of the live-on-air Mickey Mouse Club.
A graduate of West Anchorage High School, she attended Gonzaga University and the University of Oregon, ultimately earning her bachelor's degree in business and economics from Alaska Methodist University. Along the way, she studied and developed conversational fluency in French, Italian and Spanish, a pursuit that reflected her belief that understanding the world more broadly was the surest way to serve her own community well.
In 1974, Susan ran for State House and became, at the time, the youngest woman ever elected to the Alaska Legislature. During her tenure in the legislature, she chaired the House Health, Education and Social Services committee, and helped navigate the legislative framework for major educational reform, most notably the creation of Regional Educational Attendance Areas. She was also a co-sponsor of House Joint Resolution 39, which laid the structural foundation for the creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund.
In 1983, with a four-month-old baby and two energetic boys in tow, Susan packed her belongings and moved to Needham, Mass., to attend Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. In one of her proudest personal achievements, she earned her Master of Public Administration degree in just nine months.
Susan dedicated her life to public service. During her career, she served as Executive Director of the Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, the Fairbanks Resource Agency, the Alaska March of Dimes and Victims for Justice. She also volunteered extensively in the community, including many years on the boards of the West Anchorage High School Alumni Association and PTSA. During her tenure, she successfully championed funding for the construction of the school's science wing and planetarium and the restoration of the historic West High Auditorium.
For the past 50 years, Susan's Christmas morning sweet rolls were a cherished tradition for family, friends and neighbors. What began in the late 1970s as a few dozen sweet rolls for nearby families grew into a holiday production involving children and grandchildren working assembly-line style under Grandma Susan's supervision. Last Christmas, the family made nearly two "dozen dozen" sweet rolls that were delivered throughout Anchorage. Her kitchen was a gathering place year-round, with cookie dough often ready for visiting grandchildren and "Grandma's Cooking School" where she passed down family favorites, including strawberry rhubarb pie, chocolate chip cookies and her beloved sweet rolls. Her love was often expressed through the things she made and shared, from handmade baby blankets that became heirlooms to Halloween costumes that transformed children and grandchildren into whatever their imaginations could conjure.
In retirement, Susan treasured time spent with her many friends. She met regularly with the Wednesday women's group in her condominium building, spent Thursdays with the Bartlett Democratic Club and Fridays with the former legislators' group known as the FOSSILS. A lifelong learner and voracious reader, she rarely went anywhere without a book close at hand. She found joy in gardens, geology, history, science and the countless questions that make up a life well-lived.
Above all, she cherished her family. Her walls and tabletops were filled with photographs of her children and grandchildren. Afternoons at Grandma's house meant books, music, crafts and adventures. Family gatherings often found Susan sitting comfortably in her chair, mug of chai in hand, wearing "a smile you could see a mile" while watching grandchildren laugh, play and make memories together.
Susan was preceded in death by her brother, Russ Meekins Jr.; and granddaughter, Scarlett.
She is survived by her children, Timothy Sullivan Jr. (Terrill), Conor Sullivan (Carey), Catherine Sullivan and Moira Gallagher (Gregory); grandchildren, Shanleigh, Collin, Lillie, Quinn, Adele, Ramona and Henry Sullivan, and George, Eagan and Viola Gallagher; and sisters, Barbara Meekins, Kathy Kevrekian (Armen) and Genie Siedler (William). She is also survived by her former husband and the father of their children, Timothy Sullivan.
Susan believed deeply in public service, lifelong learning and the importance of family. Her generosity, intelligence and love will continue to shape the lives of all who knew her.
A memorial service celebrating Susan's life will be held on June 24, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Z.J. Loussac Library in Anchorage. The service will take place in the Rotunda followed by a reception in the Ann Stevens Room.
In lieu of flowers, which would have irritated her allergies anyway, the family asks that donations be made in Susan's memory to Victims for Justice, an organization that was especially meaningful to her.
