Birdie Bullard

Our little Birdie flew away home shortly before midnight on January 16th, 2018 from her earthly home outside Kerrville, following a short illness. Her daughter Linda was at her side, along with her nephew Curtis from Idaho and a hospice nurse.\r\n \r\nBirdie Rebecca Tunnell was born on May 13, 1922 in Grand Saline, Texas to Cullen and Dora Tunnell. She was the great-great granddaughter of one of the Fathers of the Republic of Texas and first Senator of the State, Thomas Jefferson Rusk. She was raised in East Texas in a poor but loving and kind farm family of 5 girls and 1 boy. She graduated from Grand Saline High School in the Class of 1940 and received her B.A. from North Texas State in 1945.\r\n \r\nAt the beginning of her Senior year in High School, Birdie met the love of her life, Bill Bullard from Van, on a blind date with her sister. After a short courtship they were separated for more than 6 years by World War II. Birdie was devastated when Bill, a fighter pilot, was reported Missing In Action, but waited for her sweetheart, and a year later after escaping from his Prisoner of War camp, he returned. They were married two weeks later on July 29th, 1945. Their first child, Linda, was born 9 months to the day after their wedding, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. And then thirteen months later their son Gene came along.\r\n \r\nAlthough Birdie had been educated as a school teacher, she quickly discovered that her true calling was to be a homemaker, mother and helpmate to Bill. She accompanied him through a career in the Air Force to bases in Texas and Florida and to assignments in the Azores and Taiwan. In 1967 and '68 when both her children were in Europe-Linda studying French and Gene stationed in Germany in the Air Force-Birdie and Bill decided to sell their house in Denison and move to Europe, too. Following an interesting year in Germany, they returned to Texas and made their home in the Texas Hill Country, which they had come to love when living in Wimberley. 50 years ago this year, Birdie and Bill bought a piece of land on Goat Creek and began their dream of homesteading. She was fully hands-on in the building of their sturdy, perfect and welcoming stone house, barn, fences, garden and all aspects of the pioneering life.\r\n \r\nEveryone who ever met Birdie knew they had been blessed to be in the presence of an angel. She was beautiful inside and out till the end of her days, with a smile which lit up the room. She was genuinely sweet, had a surprising sense of humor, and always thought of others first. She was a hard worker all her life, always eager to be of use, loved shelling the pecans from Bill's grafted trees and doing anything which would make someone else happy. Like her husband, Birdie was the embodiment of the Greatest Generation. \r\n \r\nBirdie was preceded in death by her parents and all 5 of her siblings and their spouses, by her son Gene, and by her husband Bill. She is survived by her daughter, Linda Bullard of Kerrville, her sister-in-law Becky Davis of Dallas, nieces and nephews and their children, and a Dutch "daughter" exchange student and her 4 children, who adored her, with 10 grandchildren. She will be profoundly missed and her "bright eyes and sweet smile" will never be forgotten.\r\n \r\nVisitation will take place on Tuesday, January 23rd, from 5 - 7 p.m. at Grimes Funeral Chapels, 728 Jefferson Street in Kerrville, 830 257-4544.\r\n \r\nThe service will be the next morning, Wednesday, January 24th at 11 a.m., also at Grimes Funeral Chapels, with the graveside ceremony following at the Garden of Memories.