Frank Loyd Tullis

Frank was born on February 3rd, 1940, in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, to Bishop Edward Tullis and his wife Mary Jane. He grew up in the church and graduated from Randolph Macon College in Virginia, where he played football.

After graduating he joined the Air Force and met the love of his life, Jan Taylor, through mutual friends. Frank often told the story of their “honeymoon” which involved driving from Kentucky to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, in a VW Bug with no air conditioning! Their first child, Sandra, was born while they were stationed in Germany and their second, Anne, was born while stationed at Homestead AFB Florida.

He spent 25 years serving in the Air Force, retiring with the rank of full Colonel. During his tenure in the service, he served in Vietnam and was awarded a Bronze Star and a medal for Meritorious Service. He also received advanced degrees from the American University as well as the National War College. He worked for President George Bush for two years coordinating Air Force support for our national drug interdiction program. He supported the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THADD) system in countries around the world.

He was a country boy at heart and loved taking his family on summer vacations in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, where they spent the days fishing, hiking, and canoeing. He was always a very physical person and often spent vacations doing additional home improvement projects. There are many sun decks that can be attributed to Frank’s efforts! He enjoyed sports including football, tennis and running. After retiring, he focused on golf, often spending his weekend playing 18 holes at Two Rivers.

Though Frank may not have liked being the center of attention, he deserves to have his long years of service to his family and country honored. He was a man of great integrity, and he left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. He was always first to volunteer for committees supporting his community, took his responsibilities seriously and was generous with his time. Frank was always the family "go-to" when life got rough and was always someone who could be counted on to provided sound advice. He gave everything 110%, never stopped fighting for what was right and had a deep-seated work ethic.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jan; his daughters, Anne and Sandra; his nephews, and nieces, as well as many friends and extended family members who will miss him dearly.

We find comfort in knowing that Frank's legacy lives on through the lessons he taught us, the love he shared, and the memories we will cherish forever. Memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.NelsenWilliamsburg.com.