Roll Call Tribute

Published in Houston Chronicle on Oct. 18, 2019

Joe Bullard

Joe Cliff Bullard
1954-2019
Joe Bullard was born August 5,1954 in Snyder Texas. The son of Jake and Pat Bullard was known for his worth ethic, and that never changed. As a young teenager Joe took on summer jobs in the West Texas heat like asphalting country roads and clearing mesquite. When that back breaking work was done he would follow his father into the oil patch. He literally had no quit in him. Before he graduated high school Joe was working summers in the oil field. In those years a drill site foreman recognized Joe's potential and recommended that he consider working with his brain rather than his hands. That sage bit of advice led Joe to his beloved Texas A&M University to study petroleum engineering. As a graduate of the centennial class of 1976 he entered the workforce with General Crude.
Joe always said he wasn't the smartest person on the job but he could work harder than anyone and that attribute served him well over the last four decades. At the age of 28 Joe became the youngest VP to ever serve at Adobe Resources and his hard work translated into profits for everyone he ever worked for or with. But Joe cared about more than profitability, he loved people, and people loved Joe.
His years of hard work afforded him many opportunities to enjoy life. He was an avid diver who completed more than 300 dives and chose to spend one week on a live-aboard every summer on an annual dive trip. Joe loved the water almost as much as he loved people and he took his friends and family to the ocean at every opportunity. He owned several large "boats," as he loved to call them, and considered himself a pirate at heart who was made for the looting life among the islands he loved in the BVI's and the Bahamas.
The truth is that Joe loved everything about life, because he knew it was a gift from his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He served the Lord with unparalleled passion. His longtime Pastor and friend Chris Seay recently said "No one that ever spent time with Joe went away the same. His love had a way of changing all of us."
Joe served the community in many ways, he was known as Smokin Joe to the people of the Asleep at the Grill team during the Rodeo BBQ. He built a 40' long trailer with 3 smokers and living quarters that allowed the team to make amazing contributions to Boys and Girls Harbor and the Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Joe will be known globally for his greatest passion which he shared with his beloved wife Hollis to bring clean Water and the life giving Word of Jesus to those who need it most. They have traveled to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Rawanda and Uganda to serve together on the board of Living Water International (water.cc) and invite all friends and family to share in their story by serving the thirsty.
Joe and Hollis retired to Bee Cave Texas, just West of Weird, in 2016. Joe and Hollis' combined family of 6 kids and 6 grandkids were the joy of their life. Children: Lindsey Tessada and husband John, Lacey Urquhart and husband Jeff, Cliff Bullard, Buddy Tautenhahn and wife Kathy, Carl and Gerald Tautenhahn. Grandchildren: Zoey Tessada, Juno Tessada, Jackson Urquhart, Russell Tautenhahn III, Kate Tautenhahn, Nick Tautenhahn. Sisters and brother: Jana Evans and husband Dennis, Sheri Strickland and husband Donie, Chad Bullard and wife Heidi. Joe Bullard was a lover of life and fought death to the very end with a grace like none other and then claimed his reward on Saturday October 5th 2019.