George Stewart Sullivan

George was a gregarious and generous spirit who knew, instinctively, how to connect with people. Because of this, everyone felt they had the most sacred relationship with him and they did because George was able to give in such big ways. He understood everyone.

Born to Norma Mannacio and John Sullivan, George grew up in New York City, collecting a lifetime of stories about his childhood with his siblings, including surviving mishaps like swinging chandeliers and encountering neighborhood nut-jobs. He began working when he still wasn’t tall enough to ride most rollercoasters, at a local pizzeria, where he worked for tips and snacks.

George thought big. He was all or nothing, not built for moderation. When he decided to run the New York City Marathon, he trained himself and made it to the finish line. For a time, he was a marathon runner. When George enrolled at Hunter College, he embraced art history and political science, folding them into the way he saw the world. For a time, he was a zealous student. Hunter College is where he met Marisol, the mother of his son Georgey, in the school cafeteria (his favorite place). George was hungry. He wanted more. He devoured moments and held onto them for years, searching for people who could match his intensity for life, even in the smallest details others might forget. He would revisit old photos and send them to everyone in his life, calling attention to the nuances that brought those moments back with texture and clarity.

George used humor as medicine, bringing stories and levity exactly when they were needed, which was most of the time. George was a natural storyteller, a sage, a comedian, a pizza man, and an enthusiast of life who saw and celebrated expression in ways not everyone has the gift to see.

Loving father. Caring Husband. Iconic sibling. Unforgettable uncle. Loyal friend. A pillar of every community he had ever entered. He had a way of being felt, not just seen and filled a room without even trying. He had a great gift of making you feel special even when you didn’t see it yourself. He knew how to connect with people from different backgrounds and cultures. He wasn’t just in the pizza business; he was in the people business and he loved it.

His life was too short, but he gave so much of his spirit that it continues through the stories (and jokes) we promise to keep telling, again and again. He is survived by his beloved mother, Norma Sullivan, his beloved son, Georgey, his devoted daughter, Destiny, his five siblings, James, Elvira, Dominic, Giulia, and Maria, his loving aunt Barbara Sullivan, lifelong friend, brother, and business partner, Samuel Troche and a whole cast of nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.