Janet (Gent) Sullivan

Janet(Jan) Marie (Gent) Sullivan, 61, passed away, at St. Luke's, Hospice of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on February 21, 2018 from a glioblastoma brain tumor and many complications. She passed away peacefully, with her family at her side. The family wishes to thank the staff at St. Luke's Hospice. They are a very special group of individuals.
Jan was born in Sigourney, Iowa, on April 14, 1956, to Raymond and Donna Gent. Jan came into this world with a neuroblastoma tumor and the subsequent surgery and cobalt radiation that saved her life, caused her problems the rest of her life. In addition she battled two other cancerous tumors and a radiation tumor. Through it all she never lost her sense of humor, her determination, her love of God, the love for her family, or caring about her fellow man.
Jan grew up on a farm near South English, IA. She never shied away from work, but sometimes she was just limited by what she could physically do. Although it never bothered her when it came to snowmobiling or flying in her Grandpa Sorden's airplane, or fishing in Canada.
Jan graduated from English Valley's High School and attended Mount Mercy College. At Mount Mercy, Jan met an Irishman and liked him better than college. They were married in 1975.
Jan always knew that she liked helping people. Thus started her career working for various insurance companies, at the corporate level, in customer service. She worked for Life Investors, Pioneer Insurance, Church Mutual Insurance, and Office Manager for AAL in Wausau, WI. and Aegon.
While in Wisconsin, Jan also acted as moderator for the Wisconsin State Bar Association and their continuing education program. She was on the Board of Directors for the "Status of Women" in Merrill, WI. She donated her time with United Cerebral Palsy of Wausau and wrote a successful grant for three quarters of a million dollars for handicap vehicles. The last position Jan held, was at a community college in Illinois. Students would come to Jan with their tuition payments and a million questions. It gave her great satisfaction knowing she could be of help to the students. They would stop her in stores and thank her for all of the help she had given them. That job lasted about 10 years. Jan always felt the student came first, but the college felt the student's money did. In addition Jan found time to start a couple business ventures and she was a fantastic cook. Friends would say Jan cooked from dirt, because nothing she made came out of a box.
Jan and husband Pat came back to Iowa a couple years ago to return to their roots and be around family. Jan probably knew something was wrong, but didn't know what. Through Jan's three month ordeal, she never stopped putting family and total strangers first, before herself.
Jan is survived by her husband, Patrick of 42 years of marriage and son Kevin (Cara) of Cedar Rapids, granddaughters Morrigan and Zoe. Parents Raymond and Donna Gent, South English. Maternal grandmother Dorothy Sorden, North English. brothers, Matt (Vicki) Cedar Rapids. Charles (Trisha) South English. sisters, Celeste Gallager (Shawn) of Cedar Rapids and Annette Gent of Lacrosse, WI. , Sister-in-law Karen Gent of Minneapolis, MN., and nieces and nephews she loved with all her heart.
Jan was preceded in death by paternal grand parents Paul and Mary Gent, maternal grand father George Sorden. Brothers Nick and George and sister Bernadette and infant sister Mellisa.
Funeral Mass will be held 11:00 am on Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at Holy Trinity Parish- St. Mary's Catholic Church in Keota, IA. Fr. Charles Fladung will officiate. Burial will be in the St. Patrick's Little Creek Cemetery, near Kinross. Visitation will be on Tuesday, from 4-7 pm, with a prayer and rosary service at 4:00 pm at the Powell Funeral Home, Keota, IA. In lieu flowers please make donations to either St. Judes Children's Hospital or St.Luke's Hospice.