On March 23, 2026, Peter Richard Sullivan took the final step on his amazing life’s journey surrounded by his loving family at his residence in Marshfield, Massachusetts (MA). Prior to residing in Marshfield, he was a 46-year resident of Duxbury, MA where he moved in 1976 to build a better life for his wife and children and to be close to his beloved ocean. Peter was born in Winchester, MA on July 25th, 1942, in the midst of World War II to the late Richard J Sullivan and Claire T (Ahern) Sullivan. He met his high school sweetheart, Madelyn Marie (McGarrahan) Sullivan, in 1959 and married in 1964 soon after he completed university.

Peter graduated from Winchester High School in 1960, and entered Saint Bonaventure University in Olean, New York to pursue a business degree. While a student there, Peter acquired a deep and abiding love for the Franciscan community, which shaped his life for decades to come. Peter embodied the core Franciscan values of simplicity, humility, and service. Throughout the years, he maintained a close relationship with his classmate Father Dan Riley and was honored to help Father Dan realize his dream of building Mount Irenaeus, a Franciscan community created in 1984 at the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains to give Saint Bonaventure students and others the opportunity to unplug from daily life and embrace God’s creation and one another.

Peter was recruited by Boston College law school but, a natural born salesman, he passed on that opportunity to take a job with Chicopee Mills in Massachusetts, entering the thriving American textile industry where he excelled at representing various mills and firms. In the 1970s, his profession took him to Chicago and New York where he met colleagues like George Chapman and Bob Jolley who became dear and lifelong friends. Missing his New England roots, he returned to Massachusetts in 1976 to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning his own company. He opened his first textile conversion company MAJ TEX in Braintree, MA in 1978 and several years later opened Performance Textiles, Inc. with a sister office in Greensboro, North Carolina, run by his friend and colleague the late Bill Gerrow. He successfully navigated his businesses through tumultuous times and the ultimate offshoring of the industry. In 2015, he semi-retired after selling Performance Textiles, but continued to run MAJ TEX all the way through February of 2026, supported by his longtime assistant and friend Cyndi Goss. The consummate businessman in all aspects of his life, he used his business savvy throughout the years to organize highly successful fund drives to support his kids’ activities. Not surprisingly, his tireless efforts to help his children resulted in record breaking candy sales for their elementary school classes, the Boy Scouts, and the Camp Fire Girls. And after taking the helm of the fund drive for the Duxbury chapter of the American Field Service in 1987, the program had unprecedented success with their fruit sales for many years. Incredibly generous in spirit and with his finances, Peter was always the first person to help a family, friend, or stranger in need. Though he had a bold, gregarious, colorful personality, and a powerful presence, he was a very humble man at heart and never sought recognition for his countless good deeds.

During the summer, when he was not working, he could be found on his boat cruising the waters of Duxbury Bay or at the family cottage that his father built on Long Beach in Rockport, MA, enjoying great times on Cape Ann with extended family and longtime friends. He took his role as the Sullivan Family Patriarch very seriously and relished the annual family reunions on Long Beach that he organized, which he affectionately referred to as the “Sullivan Family Donkey Roasts.” In the winter, Peter enjoyed spending time at the family’s second home known as “Sullivan South” on the Gulf Coast of Florida where he spent many memorable and fun-filled Thanksgivings with his children and grandchildren.

Peter was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his brother Richard Sullivan (Manchester, MA) and sister Cathy Cohen (Jack, Hawaii), and his five children: Michael (Beth), Amy Moylan, Judith Sullivan, Daniel Sullivan, and Matthew Sullivan. He leaves behind seven wonderful grandchildren: Tyler (Amy), Andrew and Megan Sullivan (Mike and Beth), Milo, Ruby and Wyatt Sullivan (Dan), and Oscar Sullivan (Matt).

A wake will be held on Monday, April 6, 2026 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the MacDonald Funeral Home,1755 Ocean Street in Marshfield. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the Holy Family Church, 601 Tremont Street in Duxbury.

In lieu of flowers and to spread the Franciscan spirit that played such a critical role in Peter’s life and legacy, the family asks that donations be made to Mount Irenaeus so that fellow seekers might have the opportunity to discover and experience the serenity, calm, and peace of mind that Father Dan Riley helped create and Peter and so many others found there. Donations can be made via the link below, by phone (716-375-2096), or by mail (P.O. Box 100, West Clarksville, NY 14786).

https://mountainonline.org/give-receive/donate-to-the-mountain/