Obituary of James "Jim" O'Sullivan

It is with sadness that the family of Jim O’Sullivan announces his passing, surrounded by family, on Friday, July 18, 2025, at Hospice House in Fredericton.  Born in Saint John, NB, on April 5, 1935, Jim was the son of the late William Patrick and Lucille Marie (Comeau) O’Sullivan. His older sister, Sheila Therese, died in 1940 and his father in 1942. His mother returned to work and supported Jim generously as he learned to follow his own interests. He attended St. Vincent’s Boys High School, and while there began working nights as a sports writer with the Telegraph Journal, which did little to improve his grades. After graduating from high school, he worked full-time for the newspaper for two years before quitting to travel with a friend by car across North America and into Mexico.

Jim then attended the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton where he graduated from Business Administration in 1959 and did a year of post-graduate study in economics. Over the years, he held a wide variety of jobs in government service and higher education. In Ottawa he worked for the Treasury Board and Economic Council of Canada. Upon his return to Fredericton, he acted as secretary to two provincial royal commissions; the Deutsch Commission on Higher Education and the Byrne Commission on Municipal Government and Finance. In 1967 he was named full-time chair of the New Brunswick Higher Education Commission (a predecessor to the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission) and in 1970 he became the first chair of the cabinet secretariat for the provincial government. In 1974 he was appointed Vice-President (Finance and Administration) for the University of New Brunswick, a position he held for a quarter of a century until his retirement in 1999. In 1997 he served briefly as acting president of the university.

Over the years Jim was elected president of two national professional organizations: The Institute of Public Administration of Canada and the Canadian Association of University Business Officers. He received an honorary doctorate from St. Thomas University and was named Vice-President Emeritus by UNB in 1999. Following retirement, Jim served for a number of years as President of the UNB Retired Employees Association. In 2008 he was co-chair, along with the late Thomas J. Condon, of a UNB Commission on Inter-Campus Relations, Funding and Governance.

Jim met the love of his life, Maureen Walsh, when both were working on UNB’s student newspaper, The Brunswickan. They were married in 1961 and had two wonderful daughters, Brenda of Nanaimo, BC, and Martha of Fredericton. He had three grandchildren, Samuel Brydges of Nanaimo and Jack and Miriam Ryan of Fredericton.

Jim couldn’t play a note or carry a tune but loved jazz and symphonic music. He was an avid reader, especially of modern history and biographies, as well as numerous newspapers and magazines. Maureen and Jim were eager travelers and managed over the years to visit what was then the Soviet Union, much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Africa, Cuba, Guadeloupe, as well as many counties in South America.

Special thanks to the doctors and staff at the DECH and Hospice Fredericton for the excellent care Jim received.

Visitation will be held at McAdam’s Funeral Home on Tuesday, July 22, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Dunstan’s Catholic Church on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 11:00 am followed by a reception. Father Brian Murphy will be the Celebrant assisted by Father Suresh Savariraj. In lieu of flowers donations in Jim’s memory may be made to the local Fredericton Hospice or to Doctors Without Borders/Medecins sans frontiers, a favourite charity of Jim's which helps people across the world.