Marthalee Sullivan passed peacefully from this life at her home in Flowood, Mississippi on February 13, 2019.

Marthalee was born in late 1945, in Jackson, Mississippi, the daughter of Jessie Eugene and Martha Jane Holloway Causey. She is preceded in death by her parents, brother, Gene Causey, and her beloved son, Jake Sullivan. Marthalee is survived by her loving husband, Jim Sullivan, son Aaron, daughter Marleigha, daughter-in-love, Sharon Silverman, grandsons, Jamie Barnhill, Jacob Sullivan, Seth Sullivan and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Marthalee graduated from Provine High School in Jackson in 1964. From there, she attended and graduated with her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the Mississippi University for Women, where she was an active member of the Troubadour Social Club. During her studies, she met her rascally husband, "Sooky," just down Highway 82, who was a student and member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity at Mississippi State University. Marthalee was soon thereafter honored with the title of "Sweetheart of Phi Kappa Tau." Jim and Marthalee entered the blissful bonds of matrimony at First Baptist Church, Jackson, MS on August 25, 1966. Since then, they created over 52 years of wonderful memories together.

In her early adult years, Marthalee served as an educator, often working in her spare time as a substitute teacher. However, she loved her little boys so much that she became a full time homemaker, as she wanted nothing but the best for her children. In the mid-1980s, Jim and Marthalee began a janitorial business, which they subsequently closed in late 2018 after many successful years of operation.

A trailblazing pioneer in healthy alternatives that were not always welcomed by her family, Marthalee began shopping at Rainbow in the 1980s before it was cool! Her legacy continues to live on in (some) of the healthy lifestyle choices Jim, Aaron and the rest of the family continue to (mostly) make.

Marthalee had an all-encompassing love for animals. As the original turtle lady, she always stopped in the middle of the road to assist any turtle crossing the road to safety. She also kept a critter cage in her trunk to pick up any animals that might need help, often bringing them home to educate her children, rehabilitate, and ultimately ensure the critter was safely released back into the wild.

As a strong woman of faith, Marthalee's love for Jesus Christ, the Bible, and her church family was immense. Because He lives, this is not a day of sadness, but a day of rejoicing and celebration because we know beyond any shadow of a doubt that she is in the loving arms of her savior!