Joe Charles Bulson

Joseph Charles Bulson of Boise, Idaho passed on Oct 6th, 2017 at age 94.

Joe was born Sept 4th 1923 in Newburgh, NewYork to Harry Bulson and Anna (Stenglein) Bulson.  Joe was the 3rd child of 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls.

Joe loved to talk about his youth. He grew up poor but grateful for what they had.  He loved sports growing up, especially softball and baseball.  He attended St Patricks  Catholic school for boys and sang in the choir.

He recounted often the occasion when there was a baseball game and a funeral mass for a parishioner at the same time.  All the other boys in the choir skipped out, but not Joe, his momma made sure of that!  Joe ended up singing the whole mass alone… and in Latin!

Joe had several jobs growing up. He was a golf caddie at a local course where he was paid only in tips and as a telegraph delivery boy on a bicycle for the same wages.  This may be why he started helping out a few local bookies by “running  numbers” for them… a profession he learned and never gave up until into his 80’s! Football season became his new passion from then on. There was little pop didn’t know about the teams, players and the odds!

During WWII Joe joined the Army. Most of his service time was spent as an MP; Military Police.  He was assigned to teach and train others in weaponry and their various duties.  He was also assigned to guard the White House, U S Capitol and then to the trains that were transporting prisoners.  He once spent 30 days in the brig for refusing an order to stop carrying an older German soldier who was too physically weak and struggling to walk.  Dad’s maternal grandparents, that he loved very much, moved to America from Germany, and this created some conflicting feelings for him during the war.

Joe ended up being stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington state. While assigned there he met Mary E Hogg.  Mary had a 18 month old son named David, and on Jan 5th 1946 they became a family.

After the war ended he took his little family back to N.Y. and there Michael was born Sept 14th 1946.  Employment and times were tough however,  and before their next son Stephen was born in 1951, the family had moved back out west and settled near Mary’s family in Boise, Idaho.  After having a couple different jobs  Joe found his niche in the grocery business and worked as a grocery manager for the Main & Fifth street Market and remained there until his retirement. Along the way

the family grew to six children having added Teresa in 1954, Barbara in 1958 and Richard in 1961.  However, sadly in 1964 the marriage ended in divorced.

In Dads early years in Idaho he sought out and found League softball and played catcher on the National Guard team. They were the team everyone wanted to beat!  He later picked up bowling and soon joined a league and was active for many years, all the while keeping up with his golf game. He loved to just get out and walk, and having just one car for many years it was not unusual for him to walk the 2 miles to work .

In 1981 Dad and Evelyn (Evie) Hickey were married. They shared the love of golf, football and being social. They traveled some, one trip to go back to New York to visit dads family was talked about fondly for years. They had 34 years of adventures and loving one another before Evies passing in 2015. It was a very difficult time for Dad.

Dads last 2 1/2 years were spent residing at Avamere care center after falling and breaking his hip at home. There he kept the staff and caregivers entertained with his wit and stories of days gone by. We are very appreciative for the kind and caring staff who made him feel he had a “home” there.

These last few years he has spent a lot of time telling stories about his youth, his siblings and remembering all the good times they shared. Dad may have left New York all those years ago, but New York never left his heart.

He is preceded in death by his son Michael, Sister Loretta and brothers John and Henry.  He is survived by his sisters Theresa (Tony) Buccieri of North Carolina and Marion of California.  Children David (Vicki) Whittington of CA, Stephen (Roberta) Bulson of ID,

TJ (Del) Rawlins of ID, Barbara (Mark) McLean of OR and Rick (Laura) Bulson of OH.  18 grand children and 41 great grandchildren.

As a family we wish to express our gratitude for the kindness and outstanding professionalism of the entire staff at Bella Vida Mortuary. They have gone above and beyond to help us through this difficult time in every way possible.

Till we meet again, we will love and miss you Pop…  Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal…