CANOGA PARK, Calif. – A memorial service to commemorate the life of Ron Sullivan, better known to the world as director Henri Pachard, has been arranged by his widow Deloras.
The ceremony will take place on Saturday, Oct. 4, beginning at 2 p.m.. It is open to the public. The ceremony will be held at:
SGI Community Center
14840 Nordhoff St.
Panorama City, CA 91402
"We'll do a Buddhist ceremony, which is a short ceremony with some incense, sending him off, and then people will want to gather and mingle for a while, and then we'll close it up starting around 5, 5:30," Deloras said. "The family will speak and some people will want to speak, and we'll just serve some light refreshments after the ceremony."
Friends of Sullivan including actress Bionca and screenwriter Helen Terrie have been helping Deloras take care of the late director's effects.
"We want to remember him the way he was, the way we do," Deloras said. "He's let me know that. He's just in a better place; he's happier. He hated what the disease did to his body. I'm so glad he's not suffering anymore. He's been so brave. This disease is so ugly and he just hated it, but he was so brave and really, really tried; he didn't give-up. But it's too much. Things started happening, like fever. He went into hospice here at home, and he passed away here at home, and he was at peace."
"He's going to be cremated, and that takes time, but it's just his shell, just his body, so we'll do that privately, and they're going to return his remains to me in an urn."
Deloras has asked that those who wish to help, or to express their condolences before the ceremony, email her at [email protected]
"He is not gone, as far as I'm concerned," Deloras said. "He has let me know he's with me still. He's just better. What he was trying to deal with and work with with that body was not Ron. But he kept trying. That man was so strong!"
