Daniel "Dan" Sullivan, 71

Daniel John “Dan” Sullivan was born May 3, 1955, in Butte to Dan and Mary (Evankovich) Sullivan. A proud Butte native throughout his life, Dan’s story was shaped by family, friendship, education, athletics, hard work and an enduring curiosity about the world around him.

Dan’s deep devotion to family began with his own. He admired and sought to emulate his father, Dan, and adored his mother, Mary, an incredibly strong woman. He was also a devoted brother to Anne, Tom and Teri. Those relationships helped shape the importance Dan would always place on family and the loyalty he showed to the people he loved.

Sports were woven into the fabric of Dan’s life. He competed in football, basketball, track, diving, speed skating and baseball, first for the St. John’s Fighting Eagles and later for the Butte High Bulldogs. At Butte High, Dan earned First Team All-State honors in football, was selected for the 1973 Montana East-West Shrine Game and was an All-Conference basketball player. More important than the accolades were the friendships he forged with teammates, many of whom remained among his closest friends throughout his life. He proudly received his Butte High Golden B in 2021.

Dan continued his athletic career at the University of Montana, becoming a three-year starter on the Grizzly offensive line from 1974 through 1976. No. 75 became known for his intelligence, intensity, consistency and work ethic, and by his senior season Montana described him as its premier offensive lineman, an unrelenting worker and team leader, as well as an honors candidate.

Near the end of his senior football season, Dan’s first daughter, Shannon, was born in Missoula. Although opportunities to pursue football professionally followed graduation, Dan chose to return to Butte to raise his family and begin his career.

Dan earned his Bachelor of Science in computer science from the University of Montana and continued pursuing education throughout his life, earning master’s degrees in business administration and management information systems. He began his career with the Montana Power Company in 1977 as a computer programmer and ultimately became its Chief Information Officer.

He later served as CIO for Touch America before bringing his leadership and experience to St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena, where he served as vice president of Ancillary Services before retiring in 2019.

Dan’s connection to Grizzly football extended far beyond the field. His teammates and classmates became lifelong friends, and he credited football with helping provide access to something he valued even more deeply, his education. For over 40 years, Dan continued cheering on his Grizzlies as part of the Butte and Anaconda box, spending fall Saturdays enjoying the game he loved alongside friends and fellow Griz faithful.

For all Dan accomplished in athletics, education and his career, nothing mattered more to him than family.

With daughters Shannon and Maureen, Dan wholeheartedly embraced being a girl dad. He was equally at home playing basketball, cheering alongside a track, or helping prepare for a dance revue or piano recital. Whatever his girls were interested in, Dan was interested too.

Dan and Mary Ann McElwain first knew one another as students at the University of Montana. Life initially took them in different directions, but time brought them back together. On June 23, 1990, Dan married his sweet babooette at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Missoula, beginning a partnership that would span more than three decades and countless adventures.

When son Kelly arrived in 1992, sports became a special bond between father and son. Dan coached Kelly and cheered him on from the sidelines, and together they shared a love of the Utah Jazz and Pittsburgh Steelers.

That devotion only grew as Dan became a grandfather to Copper, Sullivan, Delaney and Kain. Games, plays, dance recitals, competitions and milestones mattered because they mattered to his grandchildren, and Dan rarely missed an opportunity to be there.

Following his retirement in 2019, Dan and Mary Ann divided their years between Avondale, Ariz., and their beloved Flathead Lake in Polson. They traveled extensively throughout the United States and around the world. Dan enjoyed pickleball, concerts, discovering new restaurants and experiences, and especially sharing those experiences with family and friends.

Dan is survived by his wife, Mary Ann; his children, Shannon (Paul) Panisko, Maureen (Dwayne) Anderson and Kelly (Morgan) Sullivan; his grandchildren, Copper Anderson, Sullivan Panisko, Delaney Anderson and Kain Anderson; his siblings, Anne (Frank) Barnes, Tom (Andi) Sullivan and Teri (Terry) Bartle; Mary Ann’s siblings and spouses; extended family; and a remarkable collection of lifelong friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dan and Mary Sullivan, and his father- and mother-in-law, Frank and Marjorie McElwain.

Throughout his life, Dan understood that the greatest measure of a life wasn’t found in accomplishments or accolades, but in the people with whom you shared it. He passed on his love of family, curiosity, belief in education, love of sports and appreciation for friendships that could last a lifetime.

Dan showed up. He showed up for his parents and siblings, for his teammates and friends, for his education and career, for Mary Ann, and for his children and grandchildren. Whether it was a football game, dance recital, family dinner, new adventure or simply a moment when someone he loved needed him, Dan was there.

A memorial service celebrating Dan’s life will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 110 6th Avenue E., Polson. A social gathering will follow.

For those unable to attend, the service will be streamed live on St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church’s Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the organization or cause of the donor’s choice.

Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory. To share a message of condolence please visit lakefuneralhomeandcremation.com.