Builder and nature-lover Mark Stephen Bullis died on Friday, February 18, in Bend, Oregon. He is survived by his two children, Jeb and Eloise, who live with their mother in Mobile, Alabama. He is also survived by his two parents, James K. Bullis and Jane Davies, and three sisters, Kristin, Heather, and Karin. His second wife, Barbara, lives in Washington. His stepmother is Boo Bullis. Mark loved his friends and family deeply and expressed his love for them openly.
Mark was born in Iowa City, Iowa. Over the next several years, he and his parents moved around the United States and beyond, including Southern California, Bermuda, and New York, before settling in San Jose, California.
From a young age Mark sought adventure and made mischief with his many friends, with whom he would skateboard and bike. In high school he developed a fondness for the arts, including the music of David Bowie, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, and Steve Winwood, while also singing and dancing in community theater.
He enrolled in Chico State University after graduating high school, and lived in Chico for 10 years. While living in Chico he became an avid cycler, a vegetarian, discovered meditation and yoga, became a wilderness explorer, and developed friendships that would last a lifetime. He then took a year to trek through the mountains of Nepal with his girlfriend.
Upon his return from his adventure in Asia, Mark started exploring his interest in architecture and building, and helped his father with a home remodel. He eventually relocated to Seattle, where he discovered he preferred building over design. One of his most enjoyable jobs was building a home on Orcas Island. He eventually started his own construction company, Bullis Construction.
There was much he loved about the Pacific Northwest – the outdoor culture, the mountains and trees, the water, the arts community, and perhaps most of all: coffee. He became an active participant in the Fremont Arts Council, learned how to scale mountains, and kayaked in the Puget Sound. He loved to cook and share special meals with friends. Even after he stopped drinking, he enjoyed picking out the perfect bottle of wine for a friend to accompany a meal.
Years later he met his first wife, Trent. They had two beautiful children together and moved to Alabama. Mark enjoyed spending time with his kids at the beach as well as skiing and snowboarding with them on the mountains. He took them on numerous hikes when they were young, taught them to be avid skateboarders, and loved boating with them in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. In the aftermath of the BP oil spill, Mark joined the clean-up effort as a project manager. However, his marriage ended in divorce and he returned to his beloved west coast community.
Mark struggled with substance addiction and eventually found his way to a treatment facility that helped him stay sober. He moved to Santa Barbara, California, where he surrounded himself with a loving community of supportive friends he met through the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. He even became the secretary for the group. As much as he loved the warm weather, spending time by the ocean, and his tight circle of friends in Santa Barbara, he had an opportunity to work in Oregon for a reputable construction company as a project manager. He was excited for the new start and the prospect of living in a house where he could spend more time with his kids. After moving to Bend, he told a friend he felt like he had come home.
Mark lived vivaciously. He brought his whole self to his relationships and had countless dear friends. When he hugged you, you felt like you were the only person who mattered to him. When Mark laughed, he laughed all the way from his toes. When he sang, the rich, warm tone of his voice could melt your heart. He was a sucker for people with a good sense of humor and from a young age loved making people laugh. He never did fess up to his parents about all those goofy faces he made behind their backs to his sisters.
Mark found beauty in fine craftsmanship. Whether it was architecture, bicycles, knives, costumes, or guitars, he saw the beauty in things people created. He was awed by the natural beauty all around him, whether it be the dahlias he planted in his garden, an impressive ocean wave, or the dramatic Cascade mountains where he said he’d like one day to have his ashes scattered. He could spend hours looking at plants and flowers in the local nursery and took pride in the garden sanctuary he built when he lived in Seattle with his second wife, Barb.
There will be a celebration of Mark’s life in the summer, time and location TBD. He would insist we play lively music, share funny stories, make new friends, and throw the party of a lifetime. If you wish to make a donation in Mark Bullis’s honor, in lieu of sending flowers, please consider donating to The Mountaineers:
www.mountaineers.org/markbullisPlease share messages and stories about Mark on the Stories tab of this page.
