Eugene "Gene" E. Bull

Eugene “Gene” E. Bull, age 86, of Savanna, Illinois passed away Friday, April 1, 2011 at Mercy Medical Center, Clinton, Iowa. A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at the First United Methodist Church, Savanna. Visitation will be held 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Monday, April 4, 2011 at the Law-Jones Funeral Home, Savanna and also one hour prior to the service at the Church on Tuesday. A memorial fund has been established in Gene’s honor for the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.
Gene was born July 19, 1924 in Morrison, Illinois, the son of Lyle and Myrtle (Moore) Bull. He was raised by his stepfather, Henry “Hank” Young. Gene is a 1943 graduate of the Thomson High School. Immediately after graduation he enlisted in the US Navy and served on one of the first aircraft carriers, the USS Independence during WWII. The USS Independence came under attack during the Battle of the Coral Sea, Gene received the Purple Heart Medal for injury sustained in that battle. After the Navy Gene attended Shimer College in Mt. Carroll. On June 20, 1943, Gene married Janet Elaine Carpenter in Clinton, Iowa. She passed away March 26, 1961. Gene later married Dolores “Dee” Hall on July 25, 1975 in Thomson. They have celebrated 35 years of marriage.
Gene worked at the Savanna Army Depot as a Special Weapons Inspector retiring in 1982. Gene believed in hard work which meant that many times he worked more than one job. He was the first owner of the Savanna Deep Rock Gas Station in Savanna; worked for Northwestern Railroad in Clinton, Iowa; operated a carwash in Savanna; and when he was younger he worked for A.O. Smith building grain silos.
Gene was a lifetime member of the Mississippi Masonic Lodge, Savanna and the Freeport Consistory. He loved working as a sports official, officiating many local basketball, football and baseball games. He enjoyed deer hunting, raising cattle, hunting for morels, and especially family get-togethers.
Gene will be dearly missed by his wife, Dee Bull of Savanna; two sons, Steve (Sandra) Bull of Fulton and James (Han Xuelin) Bull of Suzhou, China; three daughters, Gena (David) Simons of Clinton, Iowa, Julie (Eddie) Casteel of Georgetown, TN and Carolyn Foster of Thomson; three step-daughters, Kelly (H.T.) Foley of Savanna, Janice (Len) Prazak of Naperville and Sandra (Bill) Malott of Atlanta, IN; twenty-one grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; two brothers, Donald (Ann) Bull of Mastic Beach, NY and Ronald “Bud” (Rita) Bull of Mt. Carroll; a step-brother, Clarence “Pete” Young of Anaheim, CA; a step-sister, Lorraine Eissens of Thomson; and a sister in-law, Glenda Young of Stockton.
Gene is preceded in death by his first wife Janet; three sisters, Delores Molitor, Patricia Bucher and Delphine Jorgenson; a brother, Charles Bull; and three step-brothers, Charles Young, David “Bubby” Young and Henry “Hop” Young.