Richard Bula

Richard "Dick" Walter Bula, 83, died peacefully at Hartford Hospital on Saturday, August 23, spending time with family and watching Red Sox games until the very end.
Dick was born in Middletown to Helen "Nellie" (Jarzebek) Bula and Walter Bula on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Middletown and briefly studied at UConn, before earning an associate degree from Middlesex Community College. Dick met his wife, Beatrice "Beatty" (Urvater) Bula at one of his favorite vacation spots, The Eastover Estate in Lenox, MA when both attended an event with friends. He married Beatty, the love of his life, on August 31, 1969, and settled for a short time in Middletown, before buying a home and raising their two sons, Mike and Tom, on the Moodus Reservoir in the beautiful town of East Haddam (Moodus). The Bula family made many happy memories in Moodus, becoming active members of the community. Dick enjoyed being a part of a bowling league and was a longtime member on the board of his neighborhood association.
He held many jobs throughout his life that he loved to share stories about, most memorably as a postman with the US Postal Service and as a helper to his brother-in-law William "Bill" Hunt with his route as a milkman. Ultimately, Dick served many years as an auditor with the State of Connecticut until retirement. After retiring, Dick decided to become a snowbird and lived part time in Clearwater/Largo, Florida and part time in East Hartford, Connecticut. He cherished time with his family, and he especially loved when they would visit him in Florida where they would explore together. Some of his favorite outings included Disney World, The Kennedy Space Center, Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach. Throughout his life, Dick loved trying his luck at a casino, usually at slots or blackjack, and would often earn free nights as a reward for his patronage. He loved a good excursion, a delicious meal and an exciting road trip. He particularly enjoyed stopping at various locations along the East Coast when driving back and forth between Florida and Connecticut each year. He knew his way around, thanks to a good old-fashioned map and was impressively adept at geography. He adapted to technology quite well, communicating by text, Facebook and email and begrudgingly, even eventually using a GPS and Alexa. Some of his favorite hobbies included: playing games (Mexican Train Dominoes, bingo and cards being some of his favorites), mystery shopping, golfing and watching sports, especially cheering on the Celtics, the New York Giants, the Red Sox and both UConn Huskies basketball teams.
He was overjoyed to have four wonderful granddaughters: Lauren, Sydney, Ashley and Brooke, and took great pleasure in attending their activities. He was always very proud of their accomplishments. This year, he was especially proud of his eldest grandchild Lauren's graduation from UConn, his second grandchild Sydney's successful first year at Marist University and his twin granddaughters Ashley and Brooke's softball championship earning them the nickname "The Champs." Besides his four granddaughters, Dick is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and his wife Brenda (Marcus) Bula of Marlborough, CT and Thomas and his wife Jessica (Seger) Bula of West Hartford, CT, his brother-in-law William Hunt, many nieces and nephews and good friends. He is predeceased by his wife Beatrice Bula, his parents, Helen and Walter Bula, his sister Barbara Hunt and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lucile and Arthur Urvater.
Burial will be private. Those who wish may send memorial contributions to the Jimmy Fund, a cause close to his heart. For online condolences, please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com.