Lucille Ann Kunz Sullivan died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, at The Springs of Butte, with her sons, John and Tom, and granddaughters, Shannon and Mary, at her side. Lucy was 92.

Lucy was born at home in Centerville on Nov. 8, 1931, the sixth of eight children born to Peter and Catherine (Scholl) Kunz. In 1934, the family moved to North Walkerville to 22 Pearl St. The Kunz home had the neighborhood's first telephone, #3418, and one of the first indoor toilets. A favorite dish for the family of German-Russian descent was the inexpensive Ram-Noodla, comprised of eggs, flour, and sour cream. Ram-Noodla remains a favorite dish of Lucy's children and grandchildren.

Except for a few months spent in California, Lucy remained with her family at the Pearl Street home until her marriage in 1955. Lucy was fiercely proud to be from Walkerville, and enjoyed sharing memories from her childhood and early life there.

"During my childhood, Walkerville was a vibrant place. Everything we needed we could find in our neighborhood," Lucy told her daughter, the Seattle photographer Rebecca Sullivan, for a 2019 book about Lucy's life, authored by Rebecca and titled "Story of a Miner's Daughter." "We had a post office, a gas station, a drugstore, Louis the shoemaker, a liquor store, and the Dream Theater. There was a grocery store, Manza's Market … When I was old enough, six years or so, we would go down to the Dream on the weekend to see a movie for five cents."

"In North Walkerville," Lucy continued, "we were kind of isolated, though honestly, we didn't think about or know much about the rest of the world. When war came in 1941, it seemed to us that Europe was as far away as the moon. We only went to downtown Butte, and not very often at all, to buy a pair of shoes, or to have eyes checked for glasses."

Lucy attended Sherman Grade School in Walkerville and Butte High School, graduating in 1950. She began her working career in high school, staffing the ice cream parlor at Butte's Columbia Gardens. Following graduation, Lucy worked as a clerk at the Murray Clinic. In 1951, looking for adventure, Lucy moved to Lompoc, Calif., where she was employed for about four months at a military prison. That December, Lucy called home to wish her mother a happy birthday and asked her what she would like as a present. Lucy's mom wanted her to come home, and so Lucy returned to Walkerville. Lucy then went to work for Butte Community Hospital in the business and payroll offices.

A young man who lived with his mother on Minah Street in Corktown, Neil Sullivan, often noticed Lucy as she waited at Park and Main for the North Walkerville bus. Neil finally worked up the courage to stop and ask Lucy if she wanted a ride home. She accepted – Neil and Lucy had their first date on Dec. 4, 1954, and Neil proposed marriage on Dec. 5. The ever-practical Lucy advised getting to know each other better. The couple eventually married in September 1955 at St. Lawrence Church in Walkerville.

With Neil working for Ingersoll Rand and on weekends for the Orofino Ice Company, the Sullivans rented their first home at 1119 W. Broadway. They moved to homes on Kemper and Maryland streets, and with their family growing, they purchased their first home in March 1960 at 1421 W. Diamond, a place where Neil and Lucy would live for 30 years and raise five children.

"Raising my five was the joy of my life," Lucy told her daughter Rebecca for the book about her life, adding that she and Neil became lifelong friends with westside neighbors, including Pat and Adeline Mullins, Jack and Martha Shannon, and Bud and Millie Voss. Neil and Lucy also socialized often with extended family, Neil's sister and her husband, Esther and Bill Moore, Neil's mother, Elizabeth Sullivan, Tom and Sis Pennell, and Maureen Pennell. The extended group skated together, had sledding parties and spent much time at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

Summers were reserved for one long family trip, usually to Oregon or Washington, and weekends were set aside for shorter trips, mostly to see family in the Montana towns of Three Forks, Geraldine, and Dillon. The Sullivans often met up with the Moores and Gram Sullivan in Wise River, Ennis, or Whitehall. Christmas Eve was always spent at the Moore household on West Quartz Street.

Each summer, Neil's brother Jack, his wife Catherine, and their eight children would travel from their home in Bremerton, Wash., to Butte for the 4th of July celebration and into mid-July. These visits included annual family trips to Virginia City, with a stop on Harding Way to drink mountain spring water. Members of the Sullivan and Moore clans remain very close to this day.

Neil's job with Ingersoll Rand required extensive travel, so Lucy would spend many weeks managing their children alone. But Ingersoll Rand would also sponsor employee trips, and Neil and Lucy traveled to, among other places, Mexico, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Palm Springs, Calif. Lucy also accompanied Neil to Ingersoll Rand equipment shows in Las Vegas, Denver and San Francisco. When their daughter Sandi lived in South Africa, Neil and Lucy spent three weeks there. The couple also traveled to Ireland, Canada, England, and some Caribbean islands.

Lucy's lifelong friends tended to be from Walkerville, and one of them, Birdie Carpenter Mullaney, invited Lucy in 1958 to join "club." Lucy was a member of this club for 58 years, with other members including Birdie, Joanie Harvey, Mary Lou Mansanti, Barb Mengon, Charlene Tamietti, and Marcella Carpenter Dallaserra.

Once her children were in school, Lucy returned to the work world, administering civil service tests to federal job seekers. In 1977, she went to work full-time at St. James Community Hospital, working in the purchasing department and the cardiac unit. She retired as a ward secretary in 1993.

Volunteering was important to Lucy. When her children were young, she was president of the women's council at the Immaculate Conception Church and volunteered at the IC School's library. She would take the IC nuns to the bowling alley and kept score as they bowled. Lucy was a leader for the Camp Fire Girls and Boy Scouts, she taught first-grade catechism and she tested the hearing of students in the public schools. For years on Wednesday nights, she answered the phone at the Butte Crisis Center. Lucy volunteered at the Butte Archives for 14 years, and at Highlands Hospice for 10 years. For many years with her friend Maureen Pennell, Lucy volunteered as co-manager of the St. James Community Hospital gift shop. When her son John needed relief on his contracted mail route in Elk Park, Mont., Lucy and her friend Nancy Sullivan would deliver mail to 42 addresses.

In her younger years, Lucy participated in league bowling and softball. Upon her retirement, Lucy with her sisters joined a regional Volkswalk Club, part of a national group of Volkswalk walking clubs. Lucy eventually walked in 39 U.S. states and in Canada. Lucy was an avid fan of the Seattle Mariners, traveling to several games in person with her son, Tom, and his children Kelly and Meg, and rarely missed a televised game.

Lucy was a proud cat lady, having many during her life, including Molly and Babe.

In 1990, Neil and Lucy moved to their property south of Rocker. Lucy often walked with her neighbor, Nancy Sullivan, and went to movies with Nancy and Nancy's sisters. Lucy took piano lessons, learned to paint, and attended a night class to learn about computers. Lucy and her sister-in-law Esther Moore were always close but became particularly good friends after the deaths of their husbands. Lucy and Esther attended church together, often took in entertainment at the Mother Lode Theatre, and accompanied each other every Sunday to the Knights of Columbus Ladies Breakfast. In 2006, at a special luncheon in Butte, Lucy and Esther met Ireland's president, Mary McAleese.

Lucy's granddaughters, Shannon and Mary, were incredibly lucky to have grown up just up the road from Lucy, and will cherish the memories the three of them made, including catching the school bus, sledding in the front yard, picking daisies, eating ice cream, playing cards, watching Jeopardy, and talking about life. Lucy was an amazing grandmother to all of her grandchildren and could always be counted on for unconditional love or advice, especially to lock your doors!

Lucy was opinionated, writing letters to the editor and one strongly worded communication to a Butte priest who allowed a politician to speak after Mass. She truly was a good person and always did the right thing for her family and community. She led her life with integrity.

After 28 years at home south of Rocker, Lucy moved to an independent living cottage at The Springs of Butte. She eventually moved into the assisted living facility at The Springs, where she died Aug. 1.

"I've loved my life in Butte, and always thought it was a special place," Lucy told her daughter Rebecca, for her book. "I'm happy that if I have to be old, at least I'm here, in the city where I was born."

Lucy is survived by her five children and their partners, John and Karen Sullivan of Butte; Rebecca Sullivan of Seattle, Wash.; Sandi Sullivan of Elko, Nev.; Neil and Laurie Sullivan of Libby, Mont.; and Tom Sullivan and Tracy McGibben of Missoula, Mont. She is also survived by her 10 grandchildren and their partners, Shannon Sullivan and Alex Ramsing of Missoula; Mary Sullivan and Jacob McFarlane of Missoula; Henry Kleaveland of Los Angeles, Calif.; Jackson Kleaveland of Los Angeles; Aaron Holcomb of Salt Lake City, Utah; Sam and Miranda Holcomb of Elko; Hannah and Tyler Barden of Post Falls, Idaho; Quinn and Katie Sullivan of Butte; Kelly Sullivan and Julia Knuth of Seattle; and Meg Sullivan and Andrew Nelsen of Phoenix, Ariz. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren, twins Anna and Thad Holcomb of Elko. Lucy is also survived by her brother, Bud Kunz of Oregon. Also surviving are numerous nieces and nephews from the Kunz and Sullivan clans, including Connie Daily of Butte and Beth Burk of Butte, who were like daughters to Lucy.

Lucy was preceded in death by her husband Neil in 2001. Also preceding her in death were her parents Peter and Catherine Kunz and her Kunz siblings, Hildy, Eleanor, Carrie, Harry, Delores, and Ron; her father- and mother-in-law, Daniel Park and Elizabeth Sullivan; and her Sullivan in-laws, Bill and Esther Moore, Jack and Catherine Sullivan, and Dan and Annalise Sullivan. She was also preceded in death by several nieces and nephews.

Our family would like to thank Faith Burns, the executive director of The Springs of Butte, for ensuring that the facility was our mom's home, and the entire staff at The Springs for their loyalty to and love for Lucy. We are forever thankful.

Our family would also like to thank Dr. Shawna Yates for her excellent care of our mom, and the staff of Honeybee Hospice, especially Mollie, Summer and Shanda.

Cremation has taken place, with Duggan Dolan Mortuary entrusted with arrangements. A commitment of mom's ashes will occur at a future date at Holy Cross Cemetery, where she will rest with her husband Neil in the Sullivan family plot. At Lucy's request, no services will be held.

Donations in Lucy's memory may be made to Friends of the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz in Butte, Mont., 59701.