James H. "Jim" Pullen

James H. (Jim) Pullen, 87, died peacefully on Nov. 24, 2014, in Tallahassee, Fl., while surrounded by his loving family. Jim was born on Sept. 29th, 1927, in Thomas County, Ga. The oldest child of the late Hubert and Annie Pullen, he moved to Tallahassee with his family as a pre-teen, and graduated from Leon High School. He went on to attend North Georgia College and Georgia Tech, as well as Florida State University. Jim was stationed in Japan with the U.S. Army during World War ll, and served with distinction as a cryptographer as part of the Army Security Agency. He would later be recalled to active duty to perform similar skills during the Korean War. In 1948, Jim married Evelyn Kroenke, a friend since childhood, who proved to be the love of his life and devoted wife for 66 years. Their first child, Karen, was born shortly before Jim’s second overseas tour, while their second daughter, Lynn, came along after his return. A jack-of-all-trades, Jim first worked as a plasterer for his father, until a broken arm resulted in him enrolling in an electronics repair program at Lively Vo-Tech. He then founded “Jim’s TV Service”, and became one of Tallahassee’s first television repairmen, later adding organ and piano repair and tuning to his services. He eventually settled into a career with Centel, retiring as a Personnel Manager after 25 years of service. Jim was a devoted Christian and long-time active member of First Baptist Church, working in the audio-visual department and serving as a deacon for many years. He loved his church, and especially enjoyed attending Sunday school class, where he enthusiastically participated in discussing and researching scripture. In addition to being a man of strong faith, Jim was a family man, through and through. He was inseparable from Evelyn, his loyal wife and life partner. He doted on his daughters when they were young, and a generation later, on his grandsons. His siblings and extended family knew they could count on him in good times and bad. And when his health began to fail several years ago, his love of family came back to him in the form of constant and unwavering support. Evelyn was there for him 24 hours a day, while his daughters, Lynn and Karen, and his brother, Bob, went “above and beyond” in providing loving and ongoing care. A true Renaissance man, Jim was accomplished at sailing, painting, spearfishing, scuba diving, boat building, and photography. He successfully taught himself to play piano, organ, and banjo, as well as classical and electric guitar. At various points of his life, he excelled at weight lifting and race-walking. An avid student of history, literature, science, and religion, he was also a world traveller, visiting many places in the United States, Central and South Americas , Alaska, Hawaii, the Holy Land, Nova Scotia, Belgium, Holland and Italy, as well as enjoying many cruises through the east, west, and south Caribbean Sea. Jim is survived by his loving wife, Evelyn, his brothers Jack (and wife Annette) and Bob (and wife JoAnn), his sister, Carol Ann Pullen Hutto, his devoted daughters, Karen Zaccardi (and husband Tom) and Lynn McGuire (and husband Bill), and three grandsons, Christopher McGuire, Michael McGuire, and Tim Zaccardi. He will also be lovingly remembered by a large number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Nov. 30th, 1:30 p.m., at First Baptist Church, 101 W. College Ave., Tallahassee, Florida. A reception will be held at the church Welcome Center following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Haggai Institute, P.O. Box 13, Atlanta, Ga. 30370, Samaritan’s Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, N.C. 28607, or Florida Baptist Children’s Home, 8415 Buck Lake Rd., Tallahassee, Fl. 32317. Susie Mozolic of Bevis Funeral Home (www.bevisfh.com or 850-385-2193) is assisting the family with their arrangements.

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James H. "Jim" Pullen

September 29, 1927 - November 24, 2014