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Denis O'Sullivan
In Memory of
Denis Francis
O'Sullivan
1930 - 2022
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Obituary for Denis Francis O'Sullivan

Denis Francis  O'Sullivan
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, Denis Francis O'Sullivan, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, passed away at the age of 91. Denis was born in New York City on December 11, 1930, to Denis Joseph and Mary Murphy O'Sullivan. He and his siblings grew up in Manhattan, later moving to the Bronx. Having loved mathematics all his life, Denis graduated from New York University in 1952 with a degree in chemical engineering - the first in his family to attain a college degree. He later earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron.

After his NYU graduation, Denis began work for the Goodyear Atomic Corporation at its facility in Portsmouth, Ohio and in the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission’s gaseous diffusion plants in Paducah, Kentucky and the Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This was the first time Denis had travelled outside of New York City, and where he fell in love with the Midwest, learned to drive a car, and made lifelong friendships. He later moved to a position with Goodyear in Akron, Ohio, where he met his wife, Carole. Denis and Carole were married on November 7, 1959, and raised four children: Susan, Mary Beth, Denis, and Michael.

In 1968, Denis took a position at the MITRE Corporation, and the family moved to Springfield and then later Fairfax Station, Virginia. Denis began his work at MITRE by supporting the development of queuing models for the then-innovative "people movers" at Dulles Airport, and later became a valuable contributor to many other projects supporting Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control modeling initiatives. He retired from MITRE in 1991 after a long and successful career.

Denis' technical skills, love of learning, and patient, gentle demeanor made him a great Dad and an excellent mentor for his kids and other younger family members. He loved to teach on any number of topics - how to compute calculus integrals, change brake pads, explore his large Fairfax Station property for Civil War memorabilia, grow tomatoes, and more. An early technical adaptor, he mastered personal computing skills on an early 1980s IBM PC he purchased for the family and passed that enthusiasm for technology on to his children. And never did anyone in the O'Sullivan family hire a repair person to fix a roof, diagnose an electrical problem, lay tile, install a garbage disposal, or take a car to the Jiffy Lube for an oil change. Denis could fix anything and everything and insisted (a little stubbornly) on doing so. A man of deep and lifelong faith, he was a church lector, a Bingo-caller at Bishop Ireton High School, and long-standing member of the Knights of Columbus.

Denis and Carole loved to travel and took their brood on camping trips to the beach and up and down the east coast, from Disney World to Maine - the station wagon packed with four kids and a dog, ready for adventure. On many of the most memorable vacations, the family joined with cousins and other family members. After his retirement, Denis and Carole travelled the world, making memories in eastern and western Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land, Russia, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, Alaska, and landmarks and sights across the United States. They also treasured their time at the beach in Oak Island, North Carolina, and at their mountain vacation home in Hedgesville, West Virginia.

Denis and Carole were gracious hosts to their family and friends, and Denis' smile was never brighter than when surrounded by extended family. He and Carole were blessed to live near their grown children and grandchildren throughout their retirement in Bristow and then later Ashburn, Virginia, attending countless swim meets, soccer games, dance recitals, and musical performances by their grandchildren. Denis was also a voracious reader of history and biographies, a lover of Irish ancestry and research, and above all, a gentle, kind, and compassionate spirit who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Denis was preceded in death by his beloved son Denis, his parents, and four siblings, Josie, Tim, Michael, and Bob. He is survived by Carole, his wife of 62 years, his daughters Susan McGuire (Randy) and Mary Beth Tawes (Brent), his son Michael O'Sullivan, his daughter-in-law Tamara O'Sullivan, and nine cherished grandchildren: Lindsey, Kelsey, Melissa, Christopher, Colleen, Cecelia, Erin-Grace, Anna, and Evelyn. He is also warmly remembered by four great-grandchildren, many much-loved nieces and nephews, his brother and sisters-in-law, and many beloved friends.

A funeral Mass will be held at 11 am on Thursday, August 11, 2022, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Rd, Reston, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor, www.littlesistersofthepoordelaware.org.

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