George Ann "Jan" Nunnally

George Ann “Jan” Nunnally was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Ethel Griffith Mendenhall and Wallace C. Mendenhall. After her 18th birthday, she was officially adopted by her stepfather Thomas William Bulfin, who had loved and helped raise her since she was a toddler.

George Ann graduated from Decatur Girls’ High School in 1945 at the age of 16. That fall she went to the University of Georgia, where she chose to major in Home Economics, with a concentration in Clothing and Textiles, and a minor in Art. She was an active member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority and a member of the honor society, Phi Upsilon Omicron. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in 1949.

After graduation, she worked at Sears, Roebuck, and Company in their drapery and fabric department and later for Revlon Cosmetics at Atlanta’s premier department store, Rich’s.

While working at Sears, she first encountered a young police officer, Fred E. Nunnally, who became the love of her life. They were married on November 17, 1950. Their daughter, Mary Elise, was born in 1952.

The turning point in their lives came when Fred died in the line of duty in a motorcycle crash in February 1956. From that point on, George Ann was determined to provide for her daughter. She returned to night school to study drafting and blueprint reading. When Elise entered first grade, George Ann returned to work full time, to be trained as a kitchen designer, and she first adopted the nickname “Jan.”

In December 1962, George Ann and Elise relocated from Atlanta to Miami, Florida for a job opportunity with a new company. Later, after years in the field of kitchen design, she became one of the first ten Certified Kitchen Designers in the United States. While in Miami, she was active in the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), Home Economists in Business (HEIB), and National Home Fashions League (NHFL). She also was the recipient of the Kitchen of the Year Award. In 1973, she was a co-founder of Benchmark Cabinetry in Miami, which specialized in custom designs and installations for kitchens and bathrooms in both new construction and remodeled homes in South Florida and the Caribbean Islands. She continued with Benchmark until her retirement in 1990.

After retirement, George Ann loved her condo with a view of Biscayne Bay, where she was a Board member for several years, helping to coordinate maintenance. In the summer of

2023 when she joined Elise and her family in North Carolina, she became a resident of Atria Cary, where she enjoyed time with her “buddies” there in the evenings.

After Elise married, George Ann always made it her priority to visit every holiday to spend time with her beloved family, and especially the grandsons and great-granddaughter. She never minded holding the fort with the kids if Elise and Warren had an opportunity for an evening out or to travel.

Before and after retirement, travel was a favorite pastime of George Ann. In 1970, she fulfilled her dream of travel to Asia, where she visited Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines. In later years, she visited several European countries and Morocco. In the 1990’s, she made a return trip to Asia, visiting mainland China and Hong Kong, and finally visiting Greece and Italy in 2007. She loved the architecture, and recently lamented that she never visited the Taj Mahal

George Ann is survived by her daughter, Elise Schultz; her son-in-law, Warren Schultz; her grandson, Warren T. Schultz; grandson, Gregory J. Schultz; great-granddaughter, Chloe Pardue-Schultz; cousin, Pamela Falcon; and many cousins and step-grandchildren.

George Ann is preceded in death by her parents, Ethel Bulfin Rudeseal and Thomas Bulfin; her husband, Fred E. Nunnally; her step-daughter, Linda Nunnally Dunn Green; and her step-son, David F. Nunnally.

In lieu of flowers, contributions are appreciated to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, https://t2t.org,

A visitation for Jan will be held Monday, June 23, 2025 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Apex Funeral Home, 550 W Williams St, Apex, NC 27502.