Mother of Fallen Firefighter to Attend State of the Union

Jan. 18, 2015
Mary Sullivan, whose daughter Anne was killed in the Southwest Inn Fire, hopes to present lawmakers with a coin.

The mother of fallen Houston firefighter Anne Sullivan will attending this week's state of the union address in Washington, DC.

Sullivan was one of four firefighters killed in the May 2013 fire at the Southwest Inn motel.

Mary Sullivan was invited by Texas congressman Pete Olson.

"The longer it's been since I've actually seen her and talked to her and heard her laugh and seen her smile the more difficult it is at times," Sullivan told KRTH-TV. "But I do feel that she is a presence."

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She started a foundation to help aspiring female firefighters and hopes to present lawmakers with a coin that highlights that this week.

"That's my biggest goal, is to make her proud," Sullivan says. "If I do that then I feel like it'll be a very successful experience."

About five years ago, Sullivan was at the U.S. Capitol was with her daughters Anne and Kate.

Related

AP Photo/Pat Sullivan
Arson investigators sift through the debris Monday, June 3, 2013, at the scene of a deadly motel fire in Houston. Four Houston firefighters died last week when the roof collapsed as they were inside the burning restaurant and motel. Three firefighters remain hospitalized, one in critical condition. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duff
A firefighter is wheeled to an ambulance after fighting a fire at the Southwest Inn, Friday, May 31, 2013, in Houston.

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