WESTFIELD – John (Jay) Joseph Sullivan IV DMD, 52, of Westfield passed away Monday, December 23, 2013. He was born in Springfield on February 14, 1961 to John J. Sullivan III and Beverly A. (Yaney) Sullivan.Jay graduated from Westfield High School in 1978, and from Westfield State College in 1982 with a BS in Biology and Chemistry. He continued his graduate studies at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston in 1986. He did his residency at Western Mass Hospital in Westfield. Jay has been practicing dentistry since completion of his residency in 1986. In 1994, he left his previous partnerships to open his own private practice, Your Dental Health in Westfield. He was a member of: the American Dental Association, a chair member of the Valley District Society of Western MA, an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, a Fellow of Orthodontics.
Dr. Sullivan was an advocate for sports dentistry; which he would volunteer his services for local youth sports and professional athletic organizations, such as: the Boston Red Sox, the Pawtucket Red Sox, and the New England Patriots, a forensic dentist for the state of Massachusetts, and was a chair of the Committee for Prevention of Concussions. Dr. Sullivan’s humble beginnings lead him to host the talk radio show, “Your Dental Health with Dr. Jay,” which was broadcasted from Springfield, MA. He was a strong supporter of the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which inspired him to become a sponsor to raise funds. He was honored to participate in the Molly Bish rides on his prized Indian motorcycle. This cause lead to him volunteering his services, along with his family and staff, for the Child Identification Program, (CHIP) events throughout Western MA; in hopes that no parent would lose their child to abduction. Dr. Sullivan was a proud member of the Westfield School Committee for many years.
He was an avid sports fan, and was a club seat holder at the New England Patriots games. He enjoyed coaching for Westfield Youth Football and the Matt Light Football Camp for six years, and was the side line MD for the Westfield Bomber sport teams. He also sponsored and coached for the Westfield Little League and Westfield Youth Soccer. Jay and his wife were honored speakers in the winter of 2013 for the Allana Smiles Foundation.
Jay leaves his wife of twenty-nine years, Jacqueline M. (Slattery) Sullivan; a son, John J. Sullivan V; and two daughters, Ashley N. Bower and her husband Kyle, and Brittany Rose Sullivan; and a granddaughter, Adrianna B. Bower. He also leaves his father, John J. Sullivan III; two brothers, Brian P. Sullivan and his wife Cynthia, Todd M. Sullivan and a sister; Suzanne I. Abbott and her husband David, his father-in-law, William Slattery, mother-in-law Barbara Fristik and her husband Andrew Fristik Jr, brother and sister-in-law, Chris and Jennifer Hannum, brother and sister-in-law Henry and Shannon Fristik and brother-in-law Andrew Fristik III. He was predeceased by his mother, Beverly A. Sullivan, and a granddaughter, Keira Reese Bower.
Calling hours will be Friday, December 27th from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. The funeral will be Saturday, December 28th at 9:30 a.m. from Firtion-Adams Funeral Service, 76 Broad Street, Westfield, followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial in St. Mary’s Church at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Pine Hill Cemetery in Westfield.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Jay’s memory be made to the National Brain Tumor Society, 55 Chapel Street, Suite 200, Newton, MA 02451.
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