BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – A typical weekend day for Sullivan Van Way might include a half marathon in the morning, a round of frisbee golf around mid-day, a couple of hours of surfing in the afternoon. All in one day.
If the earth’s rotation took another, say, four hours, Sully, as he was called, might have tried to squeeze in a hike up Mount Whitney too.
When Sullivan Van Way died in a plane crash in Porterville on June 18, he left many mountains unclimbed. But the mountains he did climb, figurative and literal – were something to behold.
Van Way was a pilot, a triathlete, a marathon runner, a mountain biker, a sidecar racer, a boater, a surfer, a skateboarder, a stunt jumper – let’s see, are we leaving out anything? Uh, yeah. If it was outdoors – miles distant, physically and spiritually, from the living room sofa – Sullivan Van Way was up for it.
He had a video blog – a vlog – on YouTube that chronicled his exploits, many with his father, Chris, or one of his younger brothers – he had five of them.
His 30-year-old brother Dillon Van Way said Sullivan was nonstop.
“He did more in a single day than anyone could imagine was possible,” Dillon said. “Where most people make a plan of, like, I’m gonna go run a marathon today, Sullivan would say, ‘I’m gonna go run a marathon this morning.’”
Unless it involved certain negative lifestyle choices, Sullivan – who didn’t drink – was up for absolutely anything, according to his father, Chris Van Way.
“If you’re with him and said, ‘Hey, Sullivan do you want to do …’ Before you got out of your mouth what you want to do, he was, ‘Yes!’ Because he knows when somebody asks him to do something, that opportunity will never come again.”
Everybody in the family got into the act – not just father Chris and brother Dillon but brothers Logan, 28, Braedon, 26, Quinton, 24, and Landon, 22, and mother Angie. She once helped Sullivan rebuild a plane he’d damaged, and she was his rally racing co-driver.
Sullivan Van Way was killed when his Cessna 336 Skymaster went down about 2 miles from the Porterville airport as it was headed back to the runway at around 2:55 p.m. Speculation centers around mechanical problems but investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have not made a determination.
Services were held Wednesday in his home state of Louisiana, the day after Van Way would have turned 32. A memorial in his adopted home will take place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Minter Field, just east of Shafter. Sullivan’s good friend Jorge Santos of Bakersfield is organizing the event, which will include a noontime flyover.
Van Way had a degree from Louisiana State University in Construction Management and worked for his family’s company, JP Oil of Bakersfield. But his many avocations are what defined him.
Sullivan Van Way was indisputably a one-of-a-kind, Not many – other than his brothers perhaps – have that kind of adventurous spirit. But, says father Chris, just about anyone can take something from his example.
“Don’t waste a day of your life not doing something that matters, something you enjoy,” said Chris Van way. “Live life to its fullest.”
In lieu of flowers, the family says, grab a loved one and go on an adventure.
You can visit Sullivan’s YouTube channel at this link.
Personal condolences may be sent to the Van Way family through Delhomme Funeral Homes.