Lois K. Sullivan

Lois Klem Sullivan, beloved wife of the late James E. Sullivan, and devoted mother to their eight children, died peacefully surrounded by loving family members, August 11, 2026. She was a bright and blooming 97 years of age.

Beloved by family and friends, Lois was fearless in her devotion to her children and to all of their endeavors. Lois was intellectually curious, a lover of classical music and the theatre, a passionate reader, and decidedly consistent in her advocacy for enlightened leadership, fair play, and plain dealing. Speaking energetically on these matters and more, Lois Sullivan was keenly interested and sharply observant of the times she lived in over the many decades of her life, always believing that our world could, should, and would be improved for each new generation. For Lois new generations would come to include many grandchildren and great- grandchildren…new generations of the Sullivan family that she would know, love, and hold to her heart, from Peggy Sullivan’s son and her first grandchild Chapin Hemphill (1971) to her newest, the great-grandchildren born in this the 21st Century.

Lois Klem was born in Oak Park, Illinois on July 2, 1929, the third child and only daughter of Emil Alois Klem and Clara Marie (Rackow) Klem. Raised along with two brothers, Richard (“Dick”) and John (“Jack”), Lois was energetic and spirited throughout the years of her upbringing in Oak Park, enjoying family outings to Brown’s Lake and to Cedar Lake , dance classes and recitals, and many school friends. Bright with an early talent for the stage, Lois performed in high school plays and operettas, and especially enjoyed singing and acting in works by Gilbert and Sullivan. Graduating from Oak Park River Forest High School in 1947, Lois went on to attend Rosary College (now Dominican University) in 1947 and 1948.

Meeting the love of her life, James E. Sullivan early in 1949, she found her soulmate, a smart partner in love with Lois but also keen on the things both would love together: the theatre, the arts, new movies, new books, and attracted to the ideas that were activating cultural and political energies for the 1950s. They married on October 15, 1949.

Giving birth to eight healthy children between 1950 to 1963, Lois maintained the abundance of energy to also be: spouse, mother, and housewife; active participant in community theatre productions, first in South Bend, Indiana and later in Rockford after the family had moved to Illinois in 1963.

In Rockford Lois and family began their successful work partnering with the Rodsden Rottweilers kennels (then in Wheaton, Illinois), whelping Rottweiler breed pups. There were nearly 100 of these – several becoming prize winning show dogs - born of the several pet Rottweilers the family kept and cared for in the 1960s and 1970s.

In any endeavor that meant connecting and communicating with people, Lois Sullivan excelled. She began to work outside the home when her children had grown, successfully leading Weight Watchers and later Weight Losers groups, proving a natural in cheerful and encouraging motivation. Lois then proceeded to add new fields to her work experience: mortgage loan ogicer, real estate agent, financial planning advisor, and then a Lifeline Medical Alert system community liaison. Lois would also enthusiastically serve as a reception volunteer for OSF-St. Anthony Hospital

Through all this and through the many years, Lois remained passionate about the theatre, imparting this passion to her children. She was especially proud of appearing alongside her eldest son Jim, the real-life mother and son playing a mother and son in Rockford Civic Theatre’s 1970 “Look Homeward, Angel.” This was followed by her performances in early productions by the New American Theater: “The Skin of Our Teeth” (Mrs. Antrobus) and son Jim’s own play, “Firehouse Rites.”

In her later years, Lois devoted her prodigious energies to gardening, reading, advocating for causes, and a continued devotion to her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren, her pride in them all a perpetually blooming joy.

A mellow moment for Lois in her later years would often be to take a comfortable seat at the back of the house on the deck, breathing in a soft summer evening, sometimes alongside her daughter Kate or sometimes visiting daughter Julie, or visiting son Danny, he replete with stories and a song or two, all appreciating the hummingbirds that flit nearby as they sipped Chardonnay and talked of the things they loved in this life…especially gardens, good living, good deeds, and good people (and remarks about the not-so-good).

Lois was predeceased by her beloved husband, James E. Sullivan (1998), her loving parents Emil A. Klem (1948) and Clara M. (Rackow) Klem (1968); brothers Richard F. Klem (Joan) (1978) and John A. (Shirley) (1985); daughter Peggy E. Sullivan (2014); and son Timothy E. Sullivan (2022).

She is survived by her sons James R. Sullivan (Cheryl); Thomas Sullivan (Jaime Alberstett Sullivan, loved by the family); Robert Sullivan(Pat). daughter Julie; daughter-in-law Cindy Frey Sullivan (Timothy) son Daniel (Lori); and daughter Katherine (Stuart). She is survived by ten grandchildren: Chapin Hemphill (Stefani), Charlie Sullivan (Julie), Will Sullivan (Meredith), Carly Sullivan Kimmey (Jordan), Joey Sullivan, Michael Sullivan (Lilli), Thomas Sullivan, Gabriel Sullivan, Riley Sullivan, and Molly Sullivan. Lois is also survived by ten great-grandchildren: Becket Hemphill (Chapin & Stefani), Maggie, Finn, Charlotte, Jack, and Owen Sullivan (Will & Meredith). Eloise and Izola Kimmey (Carly & Jordan), Claire and Oliver Sullivan (Michael & Lilli) as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and friends.

The entire clan is profoundly grateful to Lois’s third child and second son, Tom, who was caretaker extraordinaire for Lois, especially in the last few years.

A Funeral Mass will be on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 11:00 am. at St. James Catholic Church, 428 N. 2nd Street, Rockford, IL. A night before visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, 1860 S. Mulford Road, Rockford, IL 61108. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider gifting the St. James Catholic Church Restoration Campaign: stjamesrockford.com - Or by contacting the church: 428 N. 2nd Street, Rockford, IL, 61107; Phone: 815-962-1214; parishogice@stjamesrockford.org