Levin Tull Obituary

Levin Paul Tull was as big as the life he lived. A boisterous man with a large frame, larger personality, and booming voice to match, his size was rivaled only by his passion for God.

The youngest of 4 siblings, he was born August 20, 1954, at Limestone Air Force Base, Maine to Col. Levin Pinkney Tull and Lois Rogers Tull. His unorthodox childhood took him to Japan, Germany, and Washington DC before his father retired to their family farm in Delaware. Levin helped his sisters work the stand, selling fresh produce, and caring for his pet raccoon.

A full-fledged hippie, after graduating from Jefferson High School in Arlington, Virginia, Levin attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biology. He also served as a Vista Volunteer, worked at Bear Trap Ranch in Colorado, and accepted Christ after being convinced to attend church with his sister Barbara in exchange for ice cream afterwards. His faith became a core part of who he was, and he chose to pursue graduate school at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

It was there he met and fell in love with his wife of 44 years, Candace Deegan Tull, unknowingly falling first for her cooking, and then for her absolute refusal to tolerate his nonsense. Smitten, the two were engaged after a month and wed shortly thereafter in 1979. Levin and Candace went on to have three children, Leah Elizabeth (the clear favorite), Joylynne Rose (the funniest), and Levin Prescott (whom no one was sure would survive to adulthood; he made it. The Army helped).

Broadcasting was the perfect vocation, seeing as how Levin would talk to a fencepost if no one were around; this enabled him to use a microphone instead. Levin's radio career took the family first to Rhode Island and then East Texas. When Candace joined the Air Force (yes Candace, not Levin), the family relocated to San Antonio. Shortly after, Levin became a high school science teacher, a profession he loved fiercely. In 2017, he graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word with a second master's degree, this time in Applied Sciences. Levin loved to teach, hated to grade, and never found another job he enjoyed as much, as evidenced by the file he kept filled with correspondence and pictures from his former students.

All three children having flown the nest, in 2012, Levin and Candace indulged their dreams of moving to Western Wyoming, where Levin pursued a variety of jobs that did not require all night grade-a-thons the day before grades were due. These included working in hospitality and food distribution.

In 2018, the Tulls relocated to Blountville, Tennessee, where Levin retired for good.

He spent his dotage reading prolifically, watching entirely too much television, playing with his three pony-sized dogs, tending chickens, drinking coffee with his buddies, and driving his wife, Candace crazy while simultaneously being her biggest cheerleader. After a brief but intense battle with cancer, Levin chose to enter hospice due to its advanced stage at diagnosis. One of his greatest joys in his last days was the presence of all his children and grandchildren over the Christmas holiday.

He passed peacefully at home in Blountville, Tennessee on January 25, 2024, at the age of 69, with his wife, Candace by his side.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Col. Levin Pinkney and Lois Rogers Tull; and his sister, Lois Margo Connor.

He is survived by his wife, Candace Tull; children, Leah and Keith Wilson, Joy Tull, and Levin and Rain Tull; grandchildren, Justus, Thalia, Annora, and Levin Peregrine; sisters, Gail Tull Robinson and Barbara Tull Westfall; innumerable extended family and friends; and his three giant dogs, Madison, Winston, and Franklin.

He is also survived by approximately one trillion books, which his family has no idea what to do with and are giving them away as party favors at the funeral.

His Celebration of Life Service will take place Thursday, February 1, 2024, from 5:00 pm until 7:00pm at Life Point Church, 6015 TN-126 in Blountville, Tennessee.

To share memories and condolences with the family please visit www.oakhillfh.com

The care of Levin Paul Tull and his family has been entrusted to the staff of Oak Hill Funeral & Cremation Services.