July 27, 1947 ~ November 1, 2024
Our dad, George William Bull, was born on July 27, 1947, in Highland Park, Michigan, the youngest child and only son of Bill and Eva (Jordan) Bull, and grew up as the younger brother of Carolyn on nearby Sylvan Lake, where he spent summers fishing, swimming, waterskiing, boating, and competing with neighborhood kids for the best “foot-first dive to see who could hold their breath the longest while trying to touch the bottom of the lagoon”. As high school students, Dad and his buddies Lee, Bill, and Gary cruised Woodward Avenue outside of Detroit in Dad’s fire-engine red ’63 Barracuda, chasing the ladies and hanging out at Ted’s Drive-In. They performed in concert and marching bands, worked at the local grocery, ice skated and bowled in the winter, and played more than their fair share of ‘mailbox baseball’. Dad was the proud owner of several different adopted or stray black labs - all named Shadow - a cockatiel named Petey, and one short-lived cat. Throughout his childhood, Dad traveled the Great Lakes region of the semi-professional bowling circuit with our grandfather, together procuring many trophies, cash prizes, medals, coins, and stamps over the years. He was a practicing Lutheran and spent many weekends devouring “burnt roast beef” or “spaghetti and tuna fish” for Sunday dinner.
After graduating from high school in 1965, Dad felt the pull of service to the country and enlisted in the USAF, spending the next seven years traveling the United States and the South Pacific islands, finally deploying to New Zealand during the later Vietnam War years. During this time, while on stateside leave in Kansas City, Dad met our mother, Sandy Bilyeu, at a local watering hole on the Country Club Plaza. He was just 21 – she was the “older woman” at 23. On one of their very first outings, Dad’s roommates ditched him in favor of their own dates, forcing him to ask his brand-new sweetheart for a ride back to Richards-Gebaur AFB – on a tiny, dark, two-lane highway – south of the city to Grandview, MO. Something about him must have given her reason to trust him implicitly; they were married just over a year later by Mom’s uncle, a Methodist minister, and celebrated over 53 years of marriage prior to Mom’s passing in October, 2023.
This union produced two children - Angie and Bryant - as well as their much-loved ‘seconds’ - son-in-law Mark (Big Mike) and daughter-in-law Sabrina (Brie), and their beloved grandchildren Anthony, Teddy, Amalia, Matilda, and most recently, Anthony’s wife Rhiannon. Over the years, Dad and Mom made their homes in many places, including New Zealand, Georgia, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and Tennessee. They enjoyed traveling with Dad’s work colleagues, visiting Hawai’i several times, the Caribbean, Alaska, the Colorado Rockies, Michigan’s upper peninsula, Florida beaches on the Gulf coast and Sanibel Island, Mexico, and the Smokies in their retirement. Taking trips with family was important to both, and we had our first plane rides as infants. As youth group and scout leaders during the 70s and 80s, Dad and Mom fostered a love for working with youth and young adults in and out of church – Mom was also our VBS director and Dad ran horseback riding camps for teens. In all the different places they lived, Dad and Mom remained very active in spiritual pursuits, including church choir, teaching Sunday school, and becoming ordained in 2013 after being saved. At that time, they recommitted their lives to Jesus, with Dad choosing to be baptized a second time. Both were deeply spiritual and believed in the worth of every individual. Dad taught us from early ages the dangers of prejudice, and the value of helping others in need. These were strong ethical backbones of both their lives.
Nature was Dad’s happy place, and he enjoyed hunting and fishing. As we grew, Dad discovered a great passion for waterfowl hunting, conservation, and youth hunter education. He became an active member in Ducks Unlimited, as well as pursued certification as a Hunter Safety and Education instructor in both Kansas and Nebraska. Dad was well-known for his staunch opposition to poaching; for giving his time, money, and efforts to wildlife conservation; his education of and stewardship for popular and endangered wetland areas; for introducing new hunters to the sport; for his ability to call birds to decoys and teach others to do so; and for educating his children, grandchildren, and countless other children and young adults on the appropriate and safe operation of firearms. Dad made a point of demystifying the harvesting of animals and showing others the beauty and wonder of what they offer us - both as a food source and a valuable means for maintaining balance in ecosystems. After successful hunts, he would often prepare and give away game meat to those whom he knew needed it.
Later in his life, Dad began researching his family tree and discovered his other siblings, both sisters, from his father’s first marriage. It was a great joy for him to pursue and build a relationship with his oldest sister, Joyce, and her family on the west coast. This relationship was very sustaining for him; he and Mom traveled to California several times to visit, while Joyce did the same, visiting them during holidays in Texas. Some years, it was a very full house!
In 2018, Dad was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and liver failure, both thought to be a result of his time in the military and his line of work in the laser printer industry. Dad was initially able to fight the effects of both diseases quite well, but it became clear after moving to Tennessee that he would not be an ideal candidate for a transplant. At this time, our family decided to shift from a cure to management of his illnesses. He endured countless procedures, infusions, injections, drug trials, and treatments, but after losing Mom, these interventions lost much of their effectiveness for him. On October 26th, Dad told his doctor at UNMC: “I’m born again, I am saved… I am going to be with Jesus.”
Dad considered it a great honor and privilege to be healthy enough to travel from Tennessee to Omaha for Anthony’s marriage to Rhiannon in May, 2024. He was extremely proud of all his grandchildren, as shown by the hundreds of photos he had saved on his phone, his computer, and in several photo boxes. He would give these a place of honor in frames and on the refrigerator with small notes about the date and activities the kids were doing. Our family was his absolute love, which we instinctively knew, but received confirmation of when looking through his photo galleries. One of his favorite t-shirts proclaimed, “Number One Grandpa” – and there is no denying that he did all he could to try to live up to that moniker. He will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of calling him friend, dad, brother, uncle, and grandpa. We are honored to have shared his love and his life.
Preceded in death by his wife Sandra Bull. Survived by his children, Bryant Bull (Sabrina) and Angela Rosenthal (Mark); his grandchildren, Matilda Denney-Bull, Anthony Rosenthal (Rhiannon), Ted Rosenthal and Amalia Rosenthal;
Gathering of Friends and Family, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm., Thursday, November 14th, 2024, at Braman Mortuary (Millard Chapel), Omaha, NE.
INTERMENT: Omaha National Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers memorials suggested to Nebraska game and parks in George's honor. Click here to donate.
Braman Mortuary and Cremation Services
6505 S. 144 St.
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