Timothy Wayne Bullis

1971 - 2023

BULLIS, Timothy Wayne, 52, of Midlothian died on July 5, 2023, taken too soon by colorectal cancer. Tim was surrounded by the love of family and friends in the days before his death.

A gifted, award-winning communicator with a passion for serving and leading others, Tim spent most of his career with Chesterfield County Public Schools. Straightforward, smart, thoughtful, funny and tireless: Tim Bullis improved the lives of thousands of students, educators, and community members.

While building a career of consequence, he also built a family with his wife of 23 years, Andrea Jaureguizar Bullis; and their children, Victoria Anne Bullis, Andrew Tyler Bullis and Alexandra Grace Bullis. The Bullises made lasting memories during beach vacations, holiday gatherings and other family get togethers. Competitive, possibly to a fault, Tim believed in winning, whether golfing with friends or whether his opponent was just 6 years old and the game was HORSE.

Born in Richmond on April 10, 1971, Tim graduated from Douglas S. Freeman High in 1989 and Randolph-Macon College in 1993. With family roots in journalism (late grandfather Jennings Culley is in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame for his writing), Tim spent the first few years of his career reporting and editing for the Winchester Star newspaper. His love for journalism and sports intersected as Tim finished his newspaper career in Fredericksburg as the assistant sports editor at the Free Lance-Star. Moving into school communication, he worked first for Williamsburg-James City County schools, then joined Chesterfield County Public Schools in 2005.

Within Chesterfield schools, Tim rose from assistant director to director to executive director of communications and community engagement. As his responsibilities expanded, one ongoing role made him a bit of a celebrity: Whenever snow seemed possible, Chesterfield students, families and teachers looked forward to receiving school-is-closed messages from Tim. Teachers wore custom T-shirts declaring "Keep calm and wait for Tim Bullis to call" and "Tim Bullis is my (stay) homeboy," and students recorded videos encouraging Tim to make the snow day call.

While some aspects of serving as the chief communicator for central Virginia's largest school system were less joyful, Tim's problem-solving, his inclusive approach and his skill at crafting messages helped Chesterfield schools find success with bond referendums and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. After almost 20 years as a fierce advocate for K-12 public education, Tim left Chesterfield schools in 2021 to work for Randolph-Macon College as executive assistant to the president. At his alma mater, Tim sought to ensure that every RMC student had the opportunity to experience success.

Throughout his life, Tim lifted people up. That was true for family, for friends, for colleagues and for the nonprofits where he volunteered his expertise and leadership (including the Midlothian Family YMCA, Shepherd's Center of Chesterfield and Chesapeake Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association). Tim's steady approach to leadership and mentorship will be missed.

In addition to his wife and children, Tim is survived by his parents, Wayne and Pam Bullis; sister, Amy Buck, her husband Jason and their daughters Rebekah, Bethany, Willow and Ashley. He also leaves behind his in-laws, Mike and Marcia Jaureguizar, brother-in-law Steve Jaureguizar, his wife Debbie and their children Nathan and Gabriella.

A private funeral service for family will take place at Trinity United Methodist Church on Friday, July 14. Friends, family and colleagues are invited to a celebration of life service at the Thomas R. Fulghum Conference Center at the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center (13900 Hull Street Rd.) on Saturday, July 15 at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Tim's memory to one of the organizations he believed in: Randolph-Macon College, Communities In Schools of Chesterfield, Midlothian Family YMCA or Shepherd's Center of Chesterfield.