David Pulliam passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 16th after a nearly 20 year battle with cancer, at the age of 71.

Born in Oak Hill, West Virginia, David’s family spent most of his childhood in Roanoke, Virginia and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended High Point University in North Carolina for his undergraduate degree where he majored in Psychology, with minors in Mathematics, Religion and Philosophy. A Vietnam-era Army Veteran, David enlisted for three years following college graduation. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was in mental health services. While stationed at Ft. Bliss, he also took a few classes at the University of Texas at El Paso. David went on to earn his master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan (go blue!).

David and Laura were married at the Church of the Covenant in Cleveland in 1987. David was involved in a number of programs throughout his longtime membership at the church.

After a career in social work, David stayed home to help raise his girls starting in 1991. Hannah and Brooke are so happy they got to spend this time with their dad growing up. He would come to every football halftime show, dance recital, orchestra concert, and cross country and track meet. He even coached rec league basketball and was once a stand-in coach for cross country.

A friend to all, David loved talking to strangers, smiling at babies, and having great conversations with his daughters’ friends. One of his most shared fun facts is that he worked for both the Girl Scouts and a steel mill. David’s passion in life was cycling, and he made sure to include his daughters. David and Hannah did the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure together for ten years, and he and Brooke were even featured in Adventure Cycling Magazine on his red Bike Friday tandem bicycle. He has made many great friends through bicycling.

David is survived by his wife Laura (nee Lyons); daughters Hannah and Brooke; sisters Kay Driscoll (Larry Driscoll) and Jane Riddle (Daniel Riddle); and brother Donald Pulliam (Joanne Pulliam). He is also survived by his wonderful nieces and nephews, or “nephices” as he liked to call them. He was preceded in death by his loving parents, Curtis Lyle Pulliam and Mary Katherine Pulliam.

The family would like to send a special thank you to the staff at University Hospitals for their kind care over the years. They would also like to thank the Hospice of the Western Reserve staff, both the homecare team and those at the Ames Family Hospice House in Westlake, OH.

A memorial service will be held at Church of the Covenant, 11205 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106 on Saturday, March 4th, at 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions in David’s memory be forwarded to: The Ohio to Erie Trail Fund, 118 Graceland Blvd #146, Columbus, OH 43214 (http://ohiotoerietrail.org) or the American Cancer Society, Cleveland Office, 10501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106-2204 (https://www.cancer.org).