Obituary
Charles (Frank) Francis Hull, 85, passed away in Columbus, Georgia on November 24, 2021. Frank, the son of Lorah Brewer Hull and Charles F. Hull, was born on July 30, 1936, in Newport News, VA, and raised in Hampton, VA. His birthplace, the Tidewater area of Virginia, perpetually held a special place in his heart. He recounted fond stories of crabbing and fishing on the Chesapeake Bay and James River, attending St John’s Episcopal Church, delivering newspapers on his bicycle route and countless other boyhood adventures.
A memorial service will be held 2:00 PM Friday, December 3, 2021at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 2100 Hilton Ave, Columbus GA . A private burial will be held at a later date according to McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory, 3874 Gentian Blvd. Columbus, GA 31907.
Frank attended The Robert Sugden Elementary School in Hampton, where his mother taught for many years and instilled in him a lifelong love of learning. He graduated from Newport News High School at age 16, having accelerated through courses and was awarded a national scholarship based on one of his literary works, an essay on “Democracy Is What We Make It.” He attended Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, then graduated from King College in Bristol, TN. While at his beloved King, he lettered in tennis, was editor of the King Tornado, was coronated Dogwood Festival King and developed lifelong abiding friendships with some of his dearest friends.
Following graduation from King College, Frank served in the U.S. Army Reserves. He later worked in Columbia, SC, for South Carolina Blue Cross Blue Shield, becoming the first Manager of the SC BCBS Data Processing Department. While working in Columbia, Frank met his wife, Phyllis Truluck Hull, and they married in 1960, moving to Florence then Charleston, SC, and eventually to the small Alabama town of Thomasville, where they raised their three children. Frank became the first and longtime Purchasing Director at MacMillan Bloedel, Inc. in Yellow Bluff, AL. He was the driving force in establishing railway lines, gas pipelines and developing the Tenn-Tom waterway to facilitate barge traffic, all to serve the newly built paper mill. After retiring from MacMillan, he became Purchasing Director at BE&K, Inc.in Birmingham, AL, and then Corporate Director of Supply Management at Lockwood, Greene& Co. in Spartanburg, SC. In Spartanburg, Frank and his wife Phyllis found their retirement home, and enjoyed their time there with good friends and fellowship at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, the Revolutionary War Roundtable, the Civil War Roundtable, and the Piedmont Audubon Society.
Frank was a dependable and trustworthy man, respected and loved by the communities he served. Of the many community projects he selflessly stewarded, he was most honored to have had a part in serving the close-knit citizens of Thomasville. There, he was a founding member of All Saints Episcopal Church where he became a lay minister and faithfully and humbly served his congregation. He served on the Thomasville Hospital Board as a special appointee to oversee the construction of the area’s first nursing home, and later, a new emergency department. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Thomasville Library and as President of the Friends of the Library, and shepherded the relocation and construction of a new library. Frank was also a charter member of the Thomasville Lion’s Club. He served as an organizer and longtime Board Member of The Thomasville School Foundation, striving to imbue his children with his earnest love of knowledge and education.
Frank had many hobbies and lifelong pursuits. He was forever looking skyward, passionate about birding. He had developed a keen interest in ornithology as a young boy after winning the Virginia Academy of Science Award for his bird studies science project. Over the years his knowledge of birds became prolific, and he was the resident expert at Audubon Society meetings wherever he traveled. His binoculars, dog-eared Peterson’s book and wife Phyllis were perennially at his side. He was a published author in numerous books and publications including the National Poetry Association and the American Poetry Society, an avid reader, a dogged genealogist, a learned historian and patient stamp and coin collector.
While Frank’s civic, work and other endeavors were important to him, the center of his life and his true joy was his family. His unwavering love will be greatly missed. He was a constant, steady presence with a listening ear and gentle words. He was humble and kind, with a keen mind, and was the compass that guided his family through life. He most loved traveling the backroads of the US and going on cruises abroad with his wife, walking the woods and fields at his wife’s family farm in South Carolina, excursions to Indian Pass, and the NC mountains, deep and meaningful conversations with his children and grandchildren, watching Crimson Tide football, fly fishing with his sons, visiting with friends, attending his grandchildren’s activities and following their various pursuits.
Frank is survived by his wife, Phyllis Truluck Hull of Columbus, GA, daughter LeDare Windham (Bobby) of Columbus; sons Charles Francis Hull, Jr (Laura) of Eagle, ID and Wesley Harrison Hull (Christie) of Roswell, GA; grandsons Robert Tyler Windham of Charlotte, NC, Andrew Brewer Windham (Tiffany) of Macon, GA, Brian Turner Windham of Orange Beach, AL, Charles Francis Hull III of Tampa, FL, William Foster Hull of Eagle, ID; granddaughters Katherine Allison Hull of Eagle, ID, and Vivian Harper Hull of Roswell, GA; sister-in-law Reba Sims Hull of Columbia, SC; and nieces Reba Hull Campbell (David) and Elizabeth Hull Fosterof Mt Pleasant, SC and her son John Ross Peters of Nashville, TN. Frank was preceded in death by his mother, father, and his brother, Rodney Ross Hull.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://give.birds.cornell.edu/page/7789/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=WEB&_gl=1*34vm4c*_ga*MTI5NjY0ODczNy4xNjMyOTMwMzQ5*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTYzODIxOTk4Mi4xLjEuMTYzODIyMDAxMi4zMA..#_ga=2.130355279.1992635331.1638219982-1296648737.1632930349&_gac=1.26590287.1638220006.Cj0KCQiAkZKNBhDiARIsAPsk0Wg5daN6Z3LLtIac-10PC2ep-jqNQEYfoeoUtiqfzQXQLo4DFoxTP5QaAs1vEALw_wcB
St. John’s Episcopal Church, In Memoriam of Frank Hull, 100 Queen’s Way, Hampton, VA 23669
Episcopal Church of the Advent, In Memoriam of Frank Hull, 141 Advent Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302
Well done, good and faithful servant. May you soar on wings like eagles’.
Credit: Source link
