Jack Tull

Jack was born in Jackson, Michigan, to Delena Belle Nimmo Tull and William Samuel Tull. His mother was a nurse, and his father was an electrical engineer. He had five siblings, three of whom passed away prior to Jack’s death: William J. Tull of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Jean Tull Beemon Reid of Jackson, Michigan; and Marjorie Tull of Hawthorne, California. Jack has two siblings who survived him: Robert G. Tull,  of Austin, Texas, and Delena Norris-Tull of Dillon, Montana.

Jack and his brother, Bob, attended high school at Wasatch Academy, in Mount Pleasant, Utah, when their father was hired as an engineer in Provo, near the end of World War II. Jack returned to Michigan the following year, to live with his grandparents while continuing school at Jackson High School. When his parents moved to Northbrook, Illinois, Jack completed high school there in 1948.

At the University of Illinois, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics, and a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Mathematics, completing his doctorate in 1957. He specialized in Number theory.

He married  Kathryn Wolter in 1952, and they had three children. They were married for 30 years but divorced in 1982.  Jack taught mathematics at the Ohio State University from 1956 to 1987 reached the rank of  Associate Professor of Mathematics. Jack was able to take several sabbaticals throughout his career at OSU, to teach as a visiting professor in various countries.

From January 1963 to December 1964, the family lived in Australia, where Jack taught Mathematics at the University of Adelaide. And from January 1970 to December 1971, they lived in Lusaka, Zambia. Jack was the Head of Mathematics at the University of Zambia, and served as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences in his second year.

While living in Columbus, he became an ice skater, and eventually a competitive ice dancer. He met his second wife at the ice rink. Jack married Mary Nye in 1984 and they  lived in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from September 1984 to September 1986, where Jack taught as a visiting professor of mathematics for Gadjah Mada University.

Jack and Mary moved to Seattle, Washington in 1987. They loved hiking in Ravenna Park near their home, and providing assistance to people in need. They supported many environmental and political organizations.

Mary passed away in 2016 and Jack moved to Texas in 2017 to be near his daughter, Laura. Jack Phillip Tull died at Buckner Villas, Skilled Nursing facility, in Austin, Texas, at the age of 91. Jack is survived by his three children: Tara Tull of Denver, Colorado; Laura Tull of Austin, Texas; and Andy Tull of the Philippines, and three grandchildren - Tamara Salas-Tull, Christina Tull, and Devi Tull as well as Mary’s stepchildren - Anna Larsson of Dorfen, Germany and Nathan Larson of Bozeman, Montana..

Jack will be cremated and his ashes strewn in Ravenna Park under the tree where Mary’s ashes were strewn.