Lynette "Lyn" Elsie Bullock

Lynette Elsie Bullock was born on August 26, 1947, in Walgett, New South Wales, Australia, to Wilfred Anthony Murrell and Elsie May (Haines) Murrell. She died unexpectedly on March 25, 2022, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and heart problems.

Lyn grew up in Hillston, NSW, where her father owned and operated the local electric power station. Lyn enjoyed animals from the start; she had a joey (young kangaroo, rescued by her father) as a pet while she was a child.

Lyn graduated from Methodist Ladies College, a preparatory school in Sydney. She was a boarding student until her parents moved to Sydney. Lyn attended the Conservatory of Music and Metropolitan College in Sydney and graduated with a Teacher's Diploma in Music. After working as a legal secretary in Sydney, Lyn came to the United States in 1971 and worked at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., for several years. Lyn continued her education by taking advanced courses in music and German at George Washington University as well as courses in French and Spanish while working at the World Bank.

Lyn married David Bullock, an attorney, on October 13, 1973, at Union United Methodist Church in Washington. They had two children, Andrew and Becky, and upon Becky’s birth in 1978 Lyn left the World Bank for fulltime motherhood.

Once her children were both in school, Lyn went back to work, holding positions in account management and education. From 1985 to 1988 she was a teaching assistant and substitute teacher at Blessed Sacrament School and administrative assistant at the Blessed Sacrament Parish religious education department.

Lyn had a wide variety of accomplishments and interests outside of her work. She “grew up in an airplane,” as she put it, with her father, a former pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force and a private pilot. She accompanied him as he flew volunteer flood relief missions. Later, she obtained her own pilot’s license (single-engine rating) while in Washington. She flew Cessna 172 airplanes with friends in a local aero club and was active in the Potomac Chapter of The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots. She also performed volunteer service as a speaker for school aviation career seminars sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration and as a coordinator for charity work.

Amid all those activities, Lyn found time to attend her children’s sporting events and to provide loving support for their schooling and other pursuits.

After moving to Brentwood, Tennessee, with her family in 1990, Lyn continued to pursue a variety of hobbies and interests, including tennis. She socialized with friends in a Birthday Club and the Red Hat Society. As Andrew and Becky graduated from high school and went away to college, Lyn followed their educations and careers closely, even from a distance. With David, Lyn was an active member of Liberty United Methodist Church in Brentwood.

Lyn eventually returned to the workforce, which included joining the front desk staff at Brentwood Veterinary Clinic, putting her in daily contact with animals she loved. She also, with her family, owned, fostered, and rescued numerous dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and birds, all of whom became full family members. Not content with that, Lyn operated her own pet-sitting business, Pet Au Pair, for a time.

Lyn then took on a new profession and challenge: licensed massage therapist. She graduated from the Cumberland Institute of Holistic Therapies and received her license in 2003. She had her own massage practice in Brentwood and also worked for various health spas and a chiropractic practice until 2013, when she began experiencing more symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

As Lyn’s health declined from a combination of Parkinson’s and heart difficulties, she found solace in the dogs who made their homes with her family. In particular, Ruby, a pit bull mix who had been rescued by Becky in 2010, became Lyn’s constant companion. They helped each other as Ruby was (and is) battling bone cancer. Ruby was with Lyn as she passed from this life.

Lyn is survived by her husband, David Morton Bullock, her two children, Andrew (Nicole) of Naperville, Illinois, and Rebecca (Adam Sindel) of Brentwood. She also leaves five beloved grandchildren: Olivia Bullock, Liam Sindel, Trevor Bullock, Addison Sindel, and Rylan Sindel.

Gathering of Family and Friends will be held from 1-2 pm with Celebration of Life Service for Lynette conducted on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 2:00 pm at Liberty United Methodist Church, 9587 Liberty Church Road, Brentwood, TN 37027.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), www.aspca.org; your local animal shelter; or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, www.michaeljfox.org.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Brentwood-Roesch-PattonFuneralHome.com for the Bullock family.