Mr. Richard “Tommy” Pulliam, age 94 of Bolivar, passed away Tuesday night, August 23, 2016, at Harris Grove Retirement Center in Whiteville, Tennessee.
Richard Thomas Pulliam was born Monday, December 12, 1921, to the late George Reagan Pulliam, Sr. and Ouida Leola Partridge Pulliam in Hickory Valley, TN. He graduated with the Class of 1942 from Grand Junction High School, and on November 12, 1946, he married Mary Louise Pulliam, who preceded him in death on January 1, 2010.
Tommy worked as a plant engineer at Armira, and was a property appraiser for the State of Tennessee and the Hardeman County Tax Assessor’s office. He was a retired deacon of the First Baptist Church of Bolivar. He enjoyed dancing, bird hunting, wood working, and helping those in need. He loved spending time with his grandchildren.
Mr. Pulliam served in the US Navy during World War II in the Atlantic and Pacific on the USS Elmore, and was a member of the James David McAnulty VFW Post #2949 in Bolivar. He was a native of Hickory Valley, until he moved to Bolivar in 1946.
He is survived by his daughter, Debbie Naylor of Collierville, TN; a brother, Ike Pulliam of Memphis, TN; three grandchildren, Tommy Stewart (Melissa) of Milan, TN, Heather Ervin (Phillip) of Collierville, TN, and Jessica Childers (David) of Collierville, TN; six great grandchildren, BreAnna Moran, Joseph Barr, Connor Stewart, Cooper Ervin, Lily Ervin, and Mary Ervin; and a special Friend, Anne Ruth Owens.
In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Diane Stewart; two brothers, Fred Tillman Pulliam and George Reagan Pulliam, Jr.; a sister, Mary Ouida Powell; and a grandson, Jordan Naylor.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Bolivar First Baptist Church Homebound Ministry or Meals on Wheels.
