John Walter Bull, P.M., beloved father and respected community and Masonic leader, passed away at the age of 92 on February 8, 2019 at the Masonic Home of California in Union City. John lived, as all Masons do, by following the Golden Rule and humbly dedicating himself to his family and his community. John now resides in the Celestial Lodge above and his kindness and good-natured sense of humor will be greatly missed.
John was born in Perry County, Arkansas on December 13, 1926, the first child of Alva and Alma A. Bull. During the Great Depression, the Bull family, comprised of John’s parents and his five brothers and sisters, migrated first from Arkansas to Oklahoma, and eventually, by the late 1930s, to the central valley town of Reedley, California. The challenging journey presented his family new-found economic opportunities and trying social transitions. Because of their shared struggles and strong love for one-another, John remained extremely close with his parents and siblings his entire life.
In 1945, as a high school senior, John joined the Army and trained at Camp Beale. Just as World War II was ending, he shipped out to the Asiatic Pacific Theater where he was stationed in Korea for the beginning of the Korean War. John served as a Technician, Fifth Grade in the 592nd Engineer Boat & Shore Regiment. He was honorably discharged from the army in December of 1946 and directly returned to his family in California.
John met Zoe Dora Searcey in Visalia in 1947, and they were married in 1948 and had two children: Shelly Sue and Walter Lee. For more than thirty years, they made a home in Dinuba, and John worked as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS) delivering mail on a walking route.
In his late-twenties, John became an active Freemason at Dinuba’s Clarence L. Fraser Lodge # 294 F. & A.M. He demonstrated his lifelong dedication to the fraternity by serving as Lodge Master, thus earning the respected title of Past Master (P.M.). John worked diligently throughout his sixty-year Masonic career, eventually earning the most senior thirty-third degree of the Scottish Rite Freemasonry. Although he would not normally reveal this information outside of the lodge, we are very proud of him and wish to share all of his achievements.
John was also an active member of several other organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (V.F.W.) Post 5866 in Dinuba, as well as the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE).
In 1969, John and his family moved to the coastal town of Morro Bay, where he continued to work for the USPS driving a local mail truck. After delivering mail for thirty-six years, he retired in 1985, but his service to the community continued in numerous ways.
John had a playful nature and a passion for square dancing. It was during this social activity that he met his second wife, Jacqualyn Barnett. They were married in 1981 and moved to Paso Robles in 1986. They enjoyed touring the western states. He and Jacqualyn continued to serve their community and in 1998 were honored as Roblans of the Month by the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce.
John Bull was preceded in death by his dear parents, Alva Bull and Alma Artie (Duvall) Bull, twin sisters Almalyne Smith and Alvalyne Hiebert, brother Robert “Bob” Bull, and wife Jacqualyn Bull.
John is survived by his sister, Peg Andrus, brother Ted Bull and wife Ginger, daughter Shelly Ambrogio and husband Raymond, son Walter Bull and his wife, Anne, granddaughter Wendy Robinette and husband Garth Bunse and great-grandson Eli Robinette Bunse, granddaughter Tessa Robinette and great-granddaughter Reese Lee, grandson Kyle Bull and great-granddaughter Harlow Bull, grandchild Kory Bull, and former wife, Zoe Dora Bull.
A Masonic service will be given graveside, by Mr. Richard Hooper of the Clarence L. Fraser Lodge # 294 F. & A.M. of Dinuba on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 10 am, at Reedley Cemetery District, 2185 South Reed Ave., Reedley, CA.
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