Mr Neal Hawk B Bulman

To Neal B Bulman, the entire world was a stage. An expressive, optimistic, and uninhibited individual, he was a performer in the theater of life. To everyone around him, he seemed to be eternally happy, and he willingly shared that joy with anyone whose life he touched. Going by the nickname Hawk, Neal could bring out the best in any situation by offering a smile, a witty remark or the twinkle of an eye. And with just those simple gestures, he could evoke the most pleasant of emotions. Hawk really mastered the art of living and had great fun in doing so.

Neal born on March 21, 1961 to Robert and Vivian Bulman at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in Arlington Hts., Illinois and Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Hawk was raised with 2 siblings, his older brothers John and Kevin. Having been raised to be caring and friendly, Neal had the ability to lift the spirits of all those around him. He was definitely a little bit of a show off, but in doing so, he succeeded in entertaining his family and friends. Hawk couldn't’t help but capture everyone’s attention. He would even capture the attention of grasshoppers, driving them around in his kiddie car.

Hawk possessed with an outgoing personality, a lively imagination and a mellowed enthusiasm for life that allowed him to be constantly on the go. As a result, he experienced a rather active childhood, and this suited him very well. Neal played a lot of sand lot football and baseball. He also wrestled and played some hockey. Neal was also involved in the Rec Club in elementary school as well as Cub Scouts, and hung out at the pool in the summers, where he made many friends because of the size of his heart. According to Mark, a major accomplishment was making it to 18 without being wanted by the FBI.

Due to a generous dose of common sense, Hawk managed to find basic solutions to basic problems and seemed to have a knack for bringing compromise to tense situations around the house. That said, ask anyone who knew him from school and they would tell you that Hawk was a class “cut-up.” He didn't’t do it to be unkind, he simply enjoyed others’ laughter, and the sounds of his friends and acquaintances having a good time. Grades may not have been the most important thing to Neal, but he really did enjoy his school experience. He did have a favorite teacher along the way, Mr. Turowski, from whom he learned a lot.

Since experience was Hawk's best teacher, he enjoyed hands-on learning and applying the “practical” approach to knowledge, rather than getting caught up in “theory.” Neal graduated from Rolling Meadows H.S. in 1979. Like all students, he enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Hawk’s favorite class in high school was P.E., where he loved to wrestle. During high school, Neal had a longtime girlfriend in Martha Breen and aspired to college.

Hawk reveled in his college years, where his imagination could run free. He was viewed by many of his classmates as being a creative and artistic person. Neal usually found himself at the center of things, whether it was during class or in extracurricular activities. He was a jovial person who loved to share his passion for fun with others. But for Hawk, life was not a case of all play and no work. He relished the task of putting his imagination to work in class, where he was able to discover new and different ways of answering problems with creative solutions. Neal earned B.A. in Economics from Northern Illinois University. His favorite courses were his business classes, especially Finance.

Hawk was drawn to individuals and crowds, using his gregarious, adaptable and outgoing personality to captivate his audience. This quality allowed Hawk to continually develop new relationships, ever widening his circle of friends. Hawk delighted in his role among all his acquaintances, because he viewed them all as potential spectators for his performance. Whether it was a story, a joke, a song or just plain fooling around, Hawk was always right at home putting on a show among his friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Chris Brown, Russell McCall, Mark DiCara, and Marty Calabrese. Later in life, Neal became friends with Laurie Ward. They were together for several years.

At work, as in life, Hawk was a real “people person.” He had a very successful way of dealing effectively with others, and his enthusiasm and energy was often contagious. When dealing with various projects and problems, Neal was an adaptable realist. He used his common sense, while trusting his experiences and impulses to uncover the correct answer. Hawk's talent for being a down to earth thinker allowed many around him to see him as an excellent problem solver. Neal's career was spent in the financial services industry. His experience spanned clerking in the pits on trading floors at the Chicago exchanges to working as a broker in the office.

Hawk enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. An “arts and crafts” type, he liked creating and making things with his hands. He was an avid sports fan who would occasionally wager on a football or basketball game. Not content to sit on the sidelines, even if Neal wasn’t the best at a sport, he loved to participate and thoroughly enjoyed the competition and the pleasure of being around other people. Hawk relished the opportunities where he could make an impact, and he would often push himself to play above his abilities. To allow him to do this, he would keep himself in shape by regularly working out. Neal also loved boating on Lake Geneva and Lake Delevan, with Lake Geneva being one of his favorite places on earth.

Hawk had an endless appetite for new and different activities. He was always ready to join in the fun and add his flair and energy to an organization. Because of his personality, his humor, and his ability to get along with everyone, Hawk's service was greatly valued by the various organizations to which he belonged. In his later years, Hawk was a sometime member of AA.

Hawk was a lover of animals and cherished his pets, enjoying them almost as much as he enjoyed being around other people. One of Neal's favorites was Carmel, his mixed breed rescue dog. They were best friends for 4 years. With all the people in his life, his best friend may have been Carmel. Earlier in life, he also shared a great attachment to the family schnauzer Dutchess.

Hawk believed that you had to experience life, and his life in retirement was no different. When that day finally arrived in 2010, he retired due to the disability caused by his disease. Neal took it in stride as one more way to have fun. His new life involved relocating to Harvard Illinois and Delevan Wisconsin. With his boundless energy and a desire to get the most out of life, Hawk remained busy with people and projects. In retirement, he found new pleasure in following global events and walking his dog Carmel. Even in retirement, Hawk continued to stay in touch with his old friends and, since he'd never met a stranger, he made plenty of new acquaintances as well.

Neal passed away on June 6, 2014 at the house of a grade school friend. Ultimately, he could not conquer the disease that was robbing him of his life. Neal is survived by his two brothers, John and Kevin. At his request, there was no service. His ashes will be spread over Williams Bay at Lake Geneva.

Hawk brought joy to all of those around him. He never had a mean bone in his body. Neal loved to have a good time and was an eternal optimist, always looking on the bright side of things. He loved to share his energy, wit, and his zest for all of his activities with his friends and family. Neal Beckingham Bulman lived life to its fullest and made everyone around him happier just for knowing him. He will be remembered with a smile.