Obie B. Sullivan was born Dec. 20, 1951 in Claremore to Jesse "Buddy" James Sullivan and Leona Tiger Sullivan. He died April 22, 2019 at the age of 67. His early childhood was spent on the current property outside Broken Arrow. He and his sister Peggy then moved with their family as Jesse/Bud "Buddy" pastored different Indian United Methodist churches in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Obie attended OU for a year and a half until he was given the opportunity to play keyboards for the Native American band XIT. The band toured all over the US in the 1970's raising money for the American Indian Movement and made several albums for Motown. Upon exiting XIT, Obie returned home to the Tulsa area with his family. They provided a home for Brian Hyland and his wife for a time at Pickett Chapel.
When Jesse became District Superintendent for OIMC Obie moved with them to Jenks, where he met his wife Cathy when she called the house doing a random phone survey for her senior paper at Oral Roberts University. Obie and Cathy moved to their present address in rural Broken Arrow to look after the home Jesse and Leona had built for their retirement, while Jesse and Leona continued to move from church to church. Obie and Cathy were married on Easter Sunday, 1982 at Broken Arrow UIMC. Jesse and Leona moved to the family home in 1991 after Jesse suffered a stroke and retired. Obie worked various machinist jobs while continuing to pursue his music career.
For a time he played with Flash Terry around the Tulsa/Stillwater area, appearing on Six in the Morning. He then joined Blues Nation with Dusty Miller, Terry Tsotigh, Sonny Klinekole and Tom Ware. They toured all over the US playing at Indian art shows, even playing in Canada and Italy. They played at the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the Native American in Washington DC and also at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. They also made several cd's.
Obie retired from his last machinist job several years ago when the company closed and moved the jobs to Mexico.
Obie leaves behind his wife Cathy and sons Reuben and Will, Reuben of the home and Will with husband Bruno of Marseille, France; sister Peggy Colbert and nephews Gregory Allenbaugh, David Allenbaugh and wife Michelle, Tommy Schultz and wife Marylen and Jake Schultz and wife Amanda all of Ada; six great nieces and six great nephews; two great-great nieces all of the Ada area; aunt, Delois June Johnson of Coweta, Naomi Ruth and husband Richard Crowley of Dallas. He also leaves behind his brothers in music and numerous other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by father Jesse "Bud", mother Leona Sullivan and half brother James Freeman.
Wake services are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 25, 2019 at Integrity Chapel.
Funeral Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, April 26, 2019 at Thlopthlocco Indian Methodist Church with Pastor, Jim Chalakee and Rev. Eli McHenry, officiating. Interment will follow at Thlopthlocco Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Integrity Funeral Service in Henryetta.
Pallbearers will be Greg Allenbaugh, Dusty Miller, Sonny Klinekole, Paul Cook, Delancey Cook and Brian Siebert.