Roll Call Tribute

Paul Winfred Pulley
July 23, 1962 – January 9, 2021

Paul Pulley passed away Saturday, January 9th at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 58. His brilliant mind, boundless generosity, indefatigable sense of humor, unfailing courage in the face of adversity, and wholehearted dedication to his family, friends, and community will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.

Paul was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Gene and Jane Pulley and moved to College Station, Texas, in 1967. He attended A&M Consolidated High School, during which time he discovered his skills as an artist and engineer and began a lifetime of service through participation in the Methodist Youth Fellowship, Appalachia Service Project, and the Boy Scouts of America. After graduating in 1980, he matriculated at Texas A&M University, graduating in 1984 with a degree in Engineering Technology and earning a master’s in Industrial Engineering in 1987. While at A&M, he was very active in the Wesley Foundation, where he met his wife Tina, whom he married on December 16, 1989. After moving to Austin in 1993, they had three daughters: Marissa, Louisa, and Rebecca. In 2002, the family moved to Round Rock, Texas, where Tina continues to reside.

He was employed as a Quality Engineer at Westinghouse in College Station for 5 years, then began working at Applied Materials in Austin, Texas, where he remained for 28 years and was eventually promoted to Director of Global Sourcing Intellectual Property Protection. His job afforded him the opportunity to travel extensively within the United States and to cities throughout Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia.

Paul’s curiosity and sense of adventure pervaded every aspect of his life, and, while he certainly took pleasure in visiting some of the world’s most impressive man-made sights, he was happiest when exploring beautiful places in the great outdoors: mountains, rivers, glaciers, deserts, oceans, and everywhere in between. He visited over half of the US National Parks, traveled to all but 3 states, and actively supported numerous wildlife and conservancy charities. An experienced SCUBA diver, he logged multiple dives in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico, especially the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

In appreciation of the arts, science, and literature, his enthusiasm was matched only by his eclecticism. He developed a passion for attending rock concerts while still in high school and could legitimately claim to have “seen all the cool bands,” but he also traveled thousands of miles to see his sister Emily perform in operas and classical concerts, was an avid patron of local theater and of Broadway shows, and sang tenor with the Brazos Valley Chorale and in several church choirs. He was a much sought-after judge for local and regional science fairs, focusing primarily on projects related to engineering, and was a voracious reader, enamored with genres ranging from comic strips to meticulously researched histories. He could converse freely on just about any subject and was considered by himself (and others) to be a “fountain of useless knowledge waiting to spout.”

Refusing to let injuries and impairments slow him down, Paul continued to participate in all manner of sports and adrenaline-inducing activities. He, Tina, and all three daughters earned their black belts through the American Taekwondo Association, proving that the family that kicks together sticks together, and he worked as a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Trainer for several summers. He made frequent trips to ride his favorite roller coasters and water slides with his sisters and with his children (while Tina held their bags), and he enjoyed hiking, deep sea fishing, whitewater rafting, racing down alpine slides (occasionally without the sled, unfortunately), ziplining, and frolicking on Sea-Doos with his daughters.

Paul earned his Eagle Scout in 1980, but he became active in the Girl Scouts as an adult to support his daughters and to honor his mother. He was very proud of the fact that each of his three daughters completed her Gold Award, and even after they had finished, he continued with the organization as a “Do-Dad,” overseeing cookie and fall product sales at the troop level and cookie booths for the service unit for many years. He served as a National Delegate for Girl Scouts of Central Texas and was selected for the board of directors, where he served on the Executive Committee as Treasurer and chair of the Governance Committee. He was instrumental in establishing firearms handling and safety policies for GSCTX and also took over the task of designing the songbooks every year for Camp Howdy Day Camp after his mother passed away in 2013.

Deeply invested in the communities in which he lived, Paul was a committed member of many different Methodist churches over the years and became a trained Stephen Ministry leader, providing essential aid and encouragement for individuals experiencing a time of great difficulty. He cared for those in his neighborhood by serving multiple terms as president of the homeowner’s association and as head of its Architectural Review Committee. His superb marksmanship and desire to promote firearms responsibility led him to support shooting sports for Boy Scouts Capitol Area Council by teaching Range Safety Officer classes and by acting as Chief Range Safety Officer or Instructor for shooting events.

Paul's knowledge and love of cars, trucks, various aquatic vehicles, and motorcycles kept his heart—and his garage—full. He was tremendously pleased with the restoration work that was done on his father’s 1958 Ford, “Old Blue,” completed in time for her to make an appearance at his daughter Rebecca’s wedding. Old Blue won Best in Show in her class at her 2018 debut in the Yellow Rose Classic Car Show. Gene Pulley would be very proud indeed.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Eugene (Gene) Pulley, Jr. and Jane Elder Hawkins Pulley, and his sister, Janene Elizabeth Pulley Fowler '86. Survivors include his wife Tina Melissa Clark Pulley '89 of Round Rock, Texas, his daughters, Marissa Janelle '16 and Louisa Elizabeth Pulley '16, daughter and son-in-law Rebecca Annelyse '17 and Matthew Lyle Pulley-Jennings and granddaughter Viola Anaïs Pulley-Jennings of Weatherford, Texas, sister Emily Ann Pulley of New York City, and numerous in-laws, nieces, and friends.