Richard Lee Pulley died on November 5, 2022. Richard was born in Houston, Texas, on October 6, 1946. Along with his younger brother Robert (1952-1990), they were raised in the loving family environment provided by their parents, Thomas Edward Pulley and Jeanne Miller Pulley. His education was thoroughly Houstonian: Park Place Methodist church kindergarten, Alcott elementary, Hartman junior high, started at Jones and finished at Lamar high school and Rice University, from which he earned a B.A. in geology in 1968.
Richard served in the Peace Corps in the Turkana region of Kenya, installing water wells in 1969. Richard followed the family tradition of grandfather, uncle, and father by enlisting in the Navy. He served as a crash-rescue firefighter, at Barber’s Point naval air station on Oahu, Hawaii.
While in the Navy, his good friend Ross Bonny taught him to fly. Richard maintained his pilot’s license for over 25 years. Richard was a lifetime EAA member. His interest in flying lasted his entire life.
Following his discharge in 1973, he returned to Houston. In 1976, he married the love of his life, Marguerite Kelly. One of their first dates was to a meeting of the Houston Underwater Club, and they continued to enjoy both scuba diving and snorkeling for many years. They resided in Houston until moving to Bakersfield, California, in 1983.
Richard worked as a petroleum geologist for 41 years in such places as Kenya, Angola, the Congo, Oman, Pakistan, Madagascar, China, Gabon, Syria, Qatar, New Guinea, Russia, Nigeria, and Iraq. His fondest memories were of the friends he made.
Richard and Marguerite traveled extensively aboard for vacations, beginning in the ’80s. Among their favorite cities were Hong Kong, Bodrum, Bruges, and Avignon.
In 2006, Richard and Marguerite moved to Atascadero, California, where they made many dear friends. Richard volunteered with The Friends of the Atascadero Library. Richard was an accomplished musician. He played the cello, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele. Richard especially enjoyed his friends in the Templeton ukulele band.
He is survived by his wife Marguerite, and Oklahoma City cousins Marilyn Myers, Nancy Tiernan, Donna Hodkinson, and Glenn Pulley.
A service at The Community Church of Atascadero, with a celebration of life at The Pavilion on the Lake, will take place in the near future.
