We just received word of the death yesterday of Kathryn Hull, widow of Rev. Robert L. Hull. Following is a remembrance—with some information concerning arrangements—received from her son Mike through niece Susan Knight Gore: Kathryn Shelton Hull was born in Karnak, Illinois, on 8 October 1932. Her parents were Roy and Mary Shelton. Kathy was the eighth of their nine children—Juanita, June, Maryruth, James, Helen, Charles, Wayne, and Robert—and the youngest girl. She attended Bethel College, where she met Robert “Bob” Leroy Hull. The two married on 14 March 1952. Bob and Kathy had three boys, Robert Allan “Bobby,” Thomas Neal “Tom,” and James Michael “Mike.” Bobby has two sons, Robin Christian “Rob” and Peter Michael. Kathy’s only granddaughter is Tom’s daughter, Rachel Lynn. And Michael has a son, Sean Patrick. Rob and his wife, Heidi, are parents of Kathy’s two great-grandchildren, Lillian Grace and Brock Coemann. Her brothers and sisters and their children meant a great deal to Kathy. Because she had no daughters, Kathy’s nieces—Cindy, Maribeth (McGuire), Melissa, Joyce, Susan (Knight Gore), Nancy, Tammy, and Lori Ann—were very special to her. She also thought of her daughters-in-law as being her own—Susan, Campbell, Laura, Ginna, and Sarah. Kathy was particularly close to her sisters-in-law, Sonja and Barbara and Fran. Kathy had two professions, educator and church choir director. She was proud of being a public school English and music teacher. She taught in Oklahoma, Knoxville, Memphis, Giles County, Murfreesboro, New Orleans, and McKenzie. After earning her Master’s Degree at Memphis State University, she was the supervisor of public school music in Shelby County, the largest school system in Tennessee. Kathy was a gifted singer. She was the choir director in many Cumberland Presbyterian churches, where Bob served as pastor and other churches. For many of her last years, she directed the choir at First United Methodist Church in Gleason. Since Bob’s death in March 2011, Kathy lived in New Rochelle, NY, with her son Michael and his husband, Robert Gahler, their son Sean Patrick and nephew Peter Michael. Though New York was a foreign country to Kathy, who had spent most of her life in Tennessee, she became part of the Trinity St. Paul’s Church family there and a fixture in the New Rochelle community. She sang in the church choir, performed at the PAC House, participated in a local book club, attended art openings and concerts, studied at Iona College’s Learning in Retirement program, etc. Anyone who thinks of Kathy remembers her beautiful soprano voice. This brought her and those around her the greatest pleasure. Until the week before she died, she could sing with a tone and clarity that was remarkable. This glorious gift will be marked forever as her epitaph, “And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be; Throughout eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on…” Services will be held this Saturday, 18 October, at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in McKenzie, TN, at 12:00 noon, with calling hours beginning at 10:00 a.m. Kathy’s brother, Robert M. Shelton, and nephew, James McGuire, will officiate at the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Roy and Mary Shelton Scholarship Fund at Bethel College, the Robert and Kathy Hull Heritage Fund of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, or the Music Fund at Trinity St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in New Rochelle. Let us be in prayer for the Hull and extended Shelton families.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 03:40:36 +0000
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