Colleagues fondly remember former Southeast Missourian editor Joe Sullivan

Former Southeast Missourian editor Joe Sullivan died at the age of 79.

Sullivan grew up in Piedmont and married Marjorie Jean Nichols on June 19, 1965. Sullivan also had two sons, Jason Patrick and Brendan Giles Sullivan. Nichols died July 31, 2021.

Joe Sullivan started as the Southeast Missourian’s news director June 27, 1994. He came to Cape Girardeau from Topeka, Kansas, where he was the executive director of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Sullivan also was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and an editor with the Wall Street Journal.

Jon K. Rust, publisher of the Southeast Missourian and president of Rust Communications, said Sullivan had an understated sense of humor and a love for cats.

“From his time with the Wall Street Journal to working and raising a family in Idaho and serving as editor in Topeka, Kansas, Joe brought powerful perspective and deep experience to Cape Girardeau. He also brought an understated sense of humor and a penchant for writing about cats and his humble upbringing in Kelo Valley, both of which were loved by Southeast Missourian readers. As a manager, he sought to improve the newsroom each year by elevating the lower quarter by training or moving them out,” Rust said. ”He was a friend, who could tell a tale among the best who ever lived. He and his late wife, Marge, were an accomplished couple, and his sons are successful on both coasts. My heart goes out to the two of them. Joe led quite the remarkable life.”

After joining the Southeast Missourian as editor, he started writing a column called “River City Journal” on July 22, 1994, with his last column published Nov. 2, 2018. Sullivan won second place in the best humor columnist category in the Missouri Press Association Foundation’s Better Newspaper Contest in September 2005.

Sullivan was elected to the Saint Francis Medical Center Foundation board of directors in November 1997, and became president-elect of the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club in June 1999.

Bob Miller was named Southeast Missourian editor when Sullivan became a full-time editorial page editor and news consultant in August 2008.

Miller is currently the Southeast Missourian’s health reporter. He said Sullivan helped him better understand what good journalism looks like and to dig into issues deeper.

“He was instrumental in helping me understand how a newsroom operates,” Miller said. “He was always there for me, a calming presence. He was very measured.”

Miller said Sullivan taught him not to dwell too much on the moment but to focus on the big picture.

Retired Southeast Missourian circulation director Mark Kneer said Sullivan was the “ultimate professional” when running a newsroom. He said when Sullivan wrote his weekly column, you could hardly sit down for breakfast and eat after it was released, as everyone would love to come and talk to him about it.

Kneer said Sullivan had several stories about bird feeding as he hated squirrels and would always try out the newest bird feeder

“I mean, if a new bird feeder came out that claimed to be squirrel-proof, he had to have it,” Kneer said. “Of course, all of them failed.”

Kneer said Sullivan’s love for cats extended to when he didn’t have any at his home, as Sullivan would volunteer at the animal shelter, where he would pet cats.

He said some of Sullivan’s greatest qualities were as the “ultimate husband and father”.

“Everything was about his wife, Marge, and his two boys,” Kneer said.

Sullivan retired after 16 years with the Southeast Missourian in September 2010. In Sullivan’s “River City Journal” column announcing his retirement Friday, Sept. 24, he paraphrased Oscar Stauffer by saying, “Count the day lost that you haven’t done something you like”.