Patricia Ann Derreberry Pullium, 82, of Knightdale, passed away Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, after a courageous journey with Parkinson’s.
Caring for others in all aspects of her life, she balanced working as a nurse, serving her church and her community, and being a mother to four children, a grandmother and an ideal wife for a pastor. She did it all with quiet strength, determination, and grace – and somehow, she still managed to put together an enormous spread for Sunday dinners.
Pat was born April 4, 1937, in Cherokee County to the late Lorene and Arnold Derreberry.
She graduated from Andrews High School, where she was active in sports. Pat especially loved basketball. She was the only player to make the All-Conference and All-Tournament basketball team each year of high school.
She went on to graduate from Watts School of Nursing in Durham, where she earned the Florence Nightingale Award of Nursing.
Pat touched many lives in her career, beginning as a PACU nurse at Rex Hospital, then starting the first Same Day Surgery Center at Raleigh Community Hospital in the 1970s, and serving as an occupational health nurse and school nurse prior to her retirement.
In 1959, she married the love of her life, the Rev. George W. Pullium Jr. Pat actively served in many leadership roles during her husband’s decades-long ministry on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and in the Knightdale area. She taught Sunday School to the Youth and Joyful Disciples Class at Knightdale Baptist Church. After being elected to the General Board of the Baptist State Convention for a four-year term, she served on the Budget and Social Services Committee. She also provided generous and loving care to visiting Belarusian children as part of the Raleigh Baptist Association program.
Pat delighted in her community, maintained enduring friendships through frequent telephone calls, and shared her love for family and God with everyone.
A service to celebrate her life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 8400 Poole Road, Knightdale, NC 27545 with Dr. Michael Ramsey and the Rev. Jack Glasgow officiating. Following the service, everyone is invited for a time of fellowship and food in the fellowship hall.
The family will have a committal service at New Knightdale Baptist Church Cemetery officiated by the Rev. Trent Sessoms.
The family will receive relatives and friends from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at L. Harold Poole Funeral Service and Crematory, 944 Old Knight Road, Knightdale, NC 27545 and other times at the home.
She is survived by her husband, the Rev. George W. Pullium Jr.; children, Martha P. Johnson (Tony) of Clayton, George W. Pullium III (Sherri) of Garner, Michelle P. Foust (Kelly) of Wake Forest, Christopher A. Pullium (Susan) of Clayton; grandchildren, Amanda Johnson Griffin (Terry), April Heather Pullium (James Norton), Morgan Samantha Pullium, Bridgette Rose Pullium and Madison Lill Pullium; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Martha D. Shakib, and brother, Lloyd Arnold Derreberry.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the N.C. Baptist Foundation for the George and Patricia Pullium Jr. Scholarship Fund, 201 Convention Drive, Cary, NC 27511.
Condolences to the family may be sent to poolefuneral.com under “Obituaries.”