William E. Pullan

William E. Pullan, born February 7, 1937, husband of the late Carol Francis (Bouchard), passed away January 20, 2020, at Regional Hospice and Palliative Care in Danbury, Connecticut. He was the son of the late William H. and Anna (Bahr) Pullan.

Bill was a graduate of Danbury High School, Class of 1956. He attended Western CT University, and was in the Army Reserve for eight years. Bill was assistant circulation manager for The Danbury News-Times and later worked for the circulation department of the Waterbury Republican-American. After his newspaper career, he worked at Kimberly-Clark Corporation until 2005.

In addition to his newspaper career, Bill co-founded and ran the highly successful News-Times Carrier Baseball League. He was also deeply involved with the international Babe Ruth Baseball program starting in 1961 and was active for over 55 years in the program. In 2009, Bill was admitted to its International Babe Ruth Hall of Fame. Bill was also honored by the Danbury Old Timers Association. In 1995 a baseball diamond was named after Bill at Mitchell Park Complex in Bethel, CT.

Bill was also very active in raising funds for The Jimmy Fund (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) through the Babe Ruth Baseball program. In 1999 Bill received the prestigious Tom and Jean Yawkey Memorial Award for his work with The Jimmy Fund, and in 2009 he hit the ‘million-dollar mark’ in fundraising. Bill was a member of the Dana-Farber Society, and Chairman of the New England Jimmy Fund Task Force for over 40 years, serving 20 years as director.

An active member in the community, Bill was on the Danbury Westerners Board of Directors, and was a major sponsor of the local program. He was a major contributor to the Danbury High School Hall of Fame committee, and was also an active member of the Bethel Park and Recreation Department for a number of years.

Bill was a member of the New England Babe Ruth Baseball Board of Directors and was a member of the New England ‘Hall of Fame’ committee. He was also a member of the Babe Ruth Umpires Association. Bill served as a member of the Bethel Baseball Association since 1969. He was also a member of the Connecticut State Police Auxiliary for a number of years. Bill was a major sponsor of the Danbury Soap Box Derby (special needs kids section), a member of Local Moose Lodge 1373, and a Catholic War Veterans Post 1042.

In addition to his extensive interest in baseball and the community, Bill was also interested in photography, gardening, good music, and auto and motorcycle shows.

Bill and his beloved wife Carol were together for 38 wonderful years. He was predeceased by several brother and sisters. Bill is survived by several cousins, nieces and nephews, including Milton (Cathy) Romaine, Sandra (Charlie) Plank, and Donald (Patty) Clady, and many friends.

His family would like to thank the staff and volunteers at Danbury Hospice for their care, love and support and for being part of ‘Bill’s Team’.

Calling hours will be held at the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main St., Danbury, CT on Monday, January 27, 2020, from 8:00AM – 10:00AM. There will be a funeral mass at St. Mary Parish, Dodgingtown Rd., Bethel, CT at 10:30AM. Burial will follow at St. Peter Cemetery, 71 Lake Ave Ext., Danbury, CT.

In lieu of flowers, all donations can be sent to The Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445 or a charity of your choice.