Raymond Bullard

Raymond Lee Bullard, 83, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday, January 4, 2011. A sixth-generation Floridian, he was born on May 12, 1927, in Mayo, FL, to the late Fred Bascom and Rosaline Smith Bullard. He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Clelia Boushee Bullard.

He is also survived by four daughters, all of Jacksonville: Clelia Davis, and her children, Clelia, Marshall III, Raymond; Britt Bullard Pease and her husband, Rick Pease; Molly McRae, her husband, Jesse, and their children, Whitaker, Pierce, Martin; Roslyn Volpe, her husband, Tim, and their children, Josh Volpe, Roslyn and Kaye Henderson, Leigh Volpe.

Ray was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in both World War II and the Korean War. He was a fourth-generation graduate of the University of Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1950. He was a member and served as treasurer of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.

His 45-year career in railroading began at the age of 16 in the Baldwin yard. After military service and college, he joined Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Wilmington, NC, as assistant to the president, Champion McDowell Davis. He moved to Jacksonville in 1960 when ACL relocated its headquarters, saw seven mergers of the transportation giant, and retired in 1986 as Vice-President, Corporate Communications, of CSX Corporation.

The Jacksonville Chapter of Public Relations Society of America, of which he was a founding member and two-term president, now presents the Raymond L. Bullard award annually to an outstanding senior-level practitioner in the field.

Ray was an active member of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, and a member of Timuquana Country Club. He was a founding member of Riverside Rotary, served as its president, and was a Paul Harris Fellow.

Ray served on the North Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America, and was recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, their highest honor. He was chairman of the board of City Rescue Mission and Goodwill Industries; president of Jacksonville University Council; and a board member of the Jacksonville Symphony Association, American Cancer Society, Children’s Museum (predecessor of MOSH), and Gateway Council of Girl Scouts.

He was also past Commander of Kirby Smith Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and past president of Sons of the American Revolution, Jacksonville Chapter.

In addition to his wife, daughters and their families, Ray is survived by two sisters-in-law, Marion Bullard (F.M.) and Betty Jo Bullard (Carl); an aunt, Marjorie Fiske (Roy); and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Frank Boushee (Betty), and sister-in-law Kathy Ames (Mark).

He was predeceased by four brothers, Bascom, F.M., Burton, and Carl, and two sisters, Nadine Rountree and Martha McCarthy.

Private graveside services for the family will be held in Prospect, Florida, on Saturday, January 8, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. The family will receive friends at a reception at Timuquana Country Club, 4028 Timuquana Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32210, on Saturday, January 9, 2011, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., with a brief message to be delivered at 3:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32257, or City Rescue Mission, 234 West State Street, Jacksonville, FL, 32202.

Arrangements by Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 729 S. Edgewood Ave., 904-388-2711.